A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next
by Coffeetailor
Summary: GWYYH crossover. Working for the Preventers after the war, Duo is assigned to watch over two new agents by the names of Shuuichi Minamino and Hiei Jaganshi, but why is Shuuichi so similar to Duo's old thieving partner from the Makai? 2x1, 3x4 HxK
1. Stargazing

A/N: Okays, this is a crossover between Gundam Wing and Yu Yu Hakusho, taking place after 'Endless Waltz' and the end of the YYH series. I've already decided on the couplings, so don't bother asking me for specific ones. Remember, we writers like to get reviews, so leave some nice ones! Oh yeah, I don't own either series, but this story idea does belong to me, so don't steal. Hugs for everybody!

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter One

Something was wrong. The apartment that he and Duo shared was too quiet, far too quiet. Unless they were on a mission requiring silence for stealth, the braided pilot always found some way to make noise. The ridiculous baseball cap Duo insisted on wearing was still hanging from the ceiling fan, so he hadn't left. How he always managed to get it up there, Heero hadn't yet figured out.

When he found Duo, he was in his dark bedroom, staring out the window without moving. Duo failed to look up when Heero entered the room, walking around the bed to look at his face.

"You know, we never saw the stars very much back home," Duo said, his voice breaking the silence. "Me and my partner would always climb as high up as we could and watch them, making up our own constellations and forgetting them before the next time, so we would have to do it all over again."

"Do you mean Solo?" Heero asked. When Duo had fallen ill the winter before, the two had spent several days of just talking, talking about anything and everything and nothing. For once, Heero had been allowed to see beneath the joker's mask, and once again now.

Duo shook his head. "Na, we knew each other before I ever met Solo. The two of us were like brothers, glued at the hip, yin and yang."

"Who was the light side?" Duo hadn't mentioned this other boy before, and he was curious. The braided pilot laughed, turning away from the window."

"He was," he chirped, grinning. "Looked the part too, always wearing white, and his hair was paler than Quatre's, paler than Zechs'." Duo stretched out on the window seat, pillowing his head on his arms. "Man, those were the days. The only care we had in the world was deciding who to rob next, and that was always fun."

Heero snorted, and would have rolled his eyes had he been anyone else. You could take a thief out of the streets… "Does this light thief have a name?"

"_Himitsu_," Duo pronounced with a cheeky grin. "Though you should have seen his ego expand when they named a mountain in Japan after him." He was rescued from further interrogation when the phone rang in the kitchen. Heero followed the hyper boy out of the room, shaking his head in amusement. At least Duo was back to what they considered his version of normal. "Moshi, moshi." If possible, the braided boy's grin grew even wider. "Quatre, hey. How's your day been?" … "Na, I'm glad to be going back. You know I hate having days off. I get bored." Heero could hear Quatre's laughter from his place at the table. "Newbies, really? Sheesh, why does Use always stick me with-" … "Okay, so it _is_ only the second time in three years, but who's counting? Besides you, I mean. What are their names anyway?" Holding the receiver with his shoulder, Duo snatched a pen and paper and began to scribble frantically. "Hey, slow down a bit. So, that's Shuuichi Minamino and Hiei Jaken?" … "Jaganshi? Okay, got it. Thanks for the heads up, Cat. See you at work tomorrow. Tell Trowa I said hi." Duo hung the phone up and sighed, slumping into the empty chair across from Heero. "The Une-lady put us in charge of two new and 'promising' officers. Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Which one?" Heero asked, squinting at the scrawl that was Duo's handwriting when he was in a hurry. The work he hid in his journals looked more like ancient calligraphy. He'd checked.

"Hiei Jaganshi," Duo said. "I know I've heard it before, but just can't place where or when. And no, before you say anything, I'm not getting it mixed up with the mountain, and Hiei wasn't my partner's name. I'm turning in. See you in the morning Heero."


	2. New Agents

A/N: So, did anyone guess just who Duo's old partner was?

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Two

Watching his partner make a sluggish beeline to the coffee pot the next morning, Duo couldn't help but to grin and barely held back full blown laughter. Old war habits had worn off, and it was now evident that Heero Yuy was _not_ a morning person. As for himself, growing up in the Makai and then on L2 had trained habit of waking up early since childhood. Shaking his head with a sigh, Duo took the mug from Heero's hand, an act that would have been suicidal if the pilot had been more awake, and started adding things from the 'shelf of doom,' a shelf covered in odd spices and food that he had never identified to the others. They had learned to leave it alone after something from it had turned Quatre green for a month.

"What is that?" Heero asked, glaring down at the creamy concoction Duo handed to him a few moments later.

"Best thing in existence for waking up nice and quick," the braided pilot said cheerfully, taking a gulp from his own black coffee. "My partner's old recipe. Cures hangovers too, if I remember correctly. Don't worry, it won't make you change colors, promise."

Heero's eyes widened a fraction at the first taste, which was quickly followed by the rest of the mug in rapid succession, making Duo laugh.

The pair made it to work in plenty of time. A pair of strangers were already waiting outside their office. The taller of the two had long, red hair and leaf green eyes, in which Duo was delighted to see a similar glimmer of mischief to his. The other was shorter than Quatre, with black hair spiked up and red eyes. His face looked to be set in a permanent glare that only softened when he looked at the redhead.

"So, I take it that you're Minamino and Jaganshi?" Duo asked, grinning.

"Call me Shuuichi," red said, shaking Duo's hand. "This is Hiei."

"Duo, Heero," Duo said, pointing to himself and his partner in turn. "Come on into the lair and make yourselves at home. Believe me when I say that it's going to be _long_ day. The Une Lady loves piling any and all paperwork she can on us. So, what made you want to join us lowly Preventors?"

"Boredom," Hiei said shortly, dropping himself into one of the armchairs Duo had dragged into the office three months before, his feet propped up on one of the arms. Shuuichi took the other one, though he sat in a much more polite manner.

While Heero got directly to work, Duo brought his desk chair over to where the other two were sitting and sat in it backwards, facing them. "Alright, here's the schedule we follow around here. Don't listen to anyone else if they tell you differently, because they don't know what they're talking about. We get here at six in the morning, pretend to work for a couple of hours, and then slip out to someplace more interesting like the gym or the shooting range. If the Une Lady catches us, me in particular, start flirting like mad until she cracks up laughing and escape. If Wufei catches us, call him some nickname and run like hell. Wuffers, Fei-chan, and Justice boy seem to be effective names to use. Don't think you'll have a problem, Hiei, but you, Shuuichi, may want to watch out for your hair. Right before lunch, slip back into the office so it looks like you've been hard at work all morning if anybody sticks their head in to invite you someplace or sees you leave. Repeat for the second half of the day. They release us around five. Days when we have fieldwork, on the other hand, follow the instructions or things tend to blow up when you don't want them to, and not when you do. Got everything?"

"How do you talk that long without stopping?" Shuuichi asked, smirking good humorously.

Duo flashed him a grin. "Circular breathing, but don't tell Wufei or Une. They still think I hold my breath and are waiting for me to suffocate myself."

The looked up as the door opened to admit a small blond man, precariously balancing several steaming mugs of various liquids.

"Good morning," Quatre said, balancing briefly on one foot as the other was used to shut the door. Duo jumped up to take a couple of the mugs so that the rest could be set down. "Thanks Duo."

"No problem, Cat," he said, setting one of the mugs of tea on Heero's desk and a coffee on his. "Hey Cat, meet Shuuichi and Hiei. Newbies, this is Quatre Winner, and if we wait just a couple of seconds…" The door opened again. "We have his shadow, also known as Trowa Barton."

"Duo, tell me that you haven't been timing us," Quatre said, shaking his head. He turned to Shuuichi and Hiei, handing them drinks as well. "I wasn't sure exactly what you'd want, but you can always get something else later if you wish to."

"You're an empath," Hiei said, meeting the blue eyes directly. It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact. Shuuichi shot the short man a look that went unnoticed by all but Duo, who's eyes widened in sudden realization. He smacked himself in the forehead, making the others stare at him.

"Now I know why your name sounded familiar!" he said, looking to Hiei. "You're _the _Hiei Jaganshi, from the isle of the koorime. I've heard that the beaches there are nice, but all the babes give men the cold shoulder."

Quatre, Heero, and Trowa glanced at each other in confusion as the other three started to laugh, clutch their stomachs.

Trowa followed Quatre out of the office when the blond left for theirs, and Duo paired up with Shuuichi, Heero with Hiei, to explain the work they were supposed to do. It was around nine when Duo quietly tapped Heero on the shoulder, pointing at the clock. The ex-soldier shook his head, signifying that he was going to stay and actually work. Duo shrugged, muttering "It's your loss," before grabbing hold of Shuuichi's arm and pulling him from the office. The shadow known as Hiei followed quietly, inwardly laughing that his fox would allow himself to be dragged around by a mere human.

"So, where to?" Duo asked once they were safely outside of the office wing.

"The gym sounded interesting," Shuuichi said. Hiei nodded in agreement. "So when did you learn about the Makai?"

"Don't tell the guys, but I was born there," the braided boy said. "I once got a little too close to King Enma, if you know what I mean, and moved to colony L2 and met my old best friend Solo. According to all my records here, that's where I came from, but even they're unsure. You can never quite tell anything about L2 brats."

"Duo for Solo?" Hiei asked quietly, glancing up at Duo with a curious tilt to his head.

"Yeah, Duo for Solo," he confirmed. "Couldn't exactly go by my first given name, or my last name. They would have raised suspicions. You're one of the first to figure that out so quickly. Well, here we are. Come on, they supply gym clothes so you don't have to get your uniform all sweaty." Beaming, he looked around, waving to a few friends before his eyes fell on a particular woman. "Oh, crap."

"Right on schedule," Lady Une said, closing her pocket watch with a snap. "Things would run a lot more smoothly here if you only showed such dedication to your real duties, Maxwell. Today though, I was actually hoping you'd be here."

"And why is that?" Duo asked, flashing the famous, perhaps infamous, Maxwell grin. "Have you started to long for my presence beside you already?"

The corners of the stern woman's lips twitched into what could have been interpreted as a smile. "You never fail to figure out a comeback, do you, Maxwell? I'll get back to the point though. As you know, the Preventors do a fundraiser each year to help the programs caring for war orphans. You missed the last one our branch was in charge of because you were still on L4 running a salvage yard at the time."

Duo nodded in agreement to her recollection. "So what's all of this have to do with me? I was too old for any of those to affect me by the time they reached L2 kids, you know that."

"If you hadn't skipped the staff meeting last week you'd know," Wufei said, walking up to them, seemingly from nowhere. "Several of the top agents, along with any volunteers, will be performing in the fundraiser. Your name is on the list."

"What?" the braided pilot asked with a blink. "Me? Just what do you expect me to do?"

"That depends on what weapon you pick," Une said, laying a firm hand on Duo's shoulder. Behind them, Shuuichi stifled a laugh at the look of glee bordering on panic that kept flitting through Duo's eyes.

They were led out of the gym and into a room normally reserved for staff meetings. As such, Duo usually made a point to avoid the room at all costs, but it was different this time. Racks of old fashioned weapons, not a single gun or grenade among them, covered the walls.

Wufei's eyes widened when Duo walked straight past the reaper's scythe and picked up a pair of smaller ones connected each by a fine length of strong chain to a weight with a touch that smelled of old familiarity.

"Maxwell, I'd be careful with those," Une warned. "They aren't easy to master and I don't think you'll have time to practice with them much before the-"

"Don't need to," Duo said, his eyes distant. "These babies and I are old friends. Hey, Shuuichi, you going to volunteer? Somehow I doubt the evil ones convinced Heero to do it and I wouldn't want to be all alone in this."

The red head smiled, lifting a coiled whip that had been dyed green with sharp points all down its length. "Yes, it does sound interesting, and I do believe that this will do. Lady Une, you mentioned that our tasks depend on our chosen weapons?"

"Yes, you'll be performing skits based on old legends of youkai and the such," she said, picking up a clipboard. "Who you play in which legend depends on your weapon. Let me see…" She blinked in surprise. "That's odd. You chose a pair from the same one."

Duo swallowed, the action escaping the woman's notice, though his other companions noticed it. "Which one?"

Ignorant of the tension in the young man's frame, Une pulled two short scripts from the stack of them. "Kurama and Kuronue. A pair of thieves from the demon world. Maxwell, you have Kuronue and Minamino has Kurama. Costume fittings are tomorrow afternoon. Attendance _is_ mandatory."

Wufei couldn't figure out why the news has caused both Maxwell's and Minamino's eyes to flash in pain briefly before they regained control. It was just a legend after all, wasn't it?


	3. Tantrum

A/N: They don't belong to me. If they really did, do you think that I'd be here writing fanfiction? Didn't think so. Read and review.

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Three

The sound of crashing had been going on for several hours when Heero finally tired of it and went up the stairs, fully intending to knock Duo out if he didn't quiet down. The Japanese man's hand paused a hair's breath away from the knob as the words being yelled by his partner because clear.

"Why? Why did I just have to go for the fucking scythes? Why didn't I grab the pole scythe and get roped into acting out some odd version of death? Just _had _to hold them again, didn't you, idiot? Just had to be reminded that even immortals aren't immune to Shinigami's touch!"

The crashing stopped with the sound of Duo falling heavily onto his mattress and screaming into his pillow. Heero retracted his hand, thoughtful. The named double scythes were still on the kitchen table where Duo had put them when they'd gotten home, glinting in the dim light as though they held life of their own.

Inside the room, Duo sat on his bed, blinking furiously. He could not allow tears to fall. While nothing like the priceless gems cried by the koorime, chimera tears had their own powerful properties, able to summon spirits both destructive and protecting.

He'd barely been able to keep his mask in place when he'd heard Kurama's name that day, and it was only going to get worse, especially after Shuuichi's costume was finished and they were rehearsing for the skit. Duo grabbed for the script on the floor beside the bed and flipped it open, a sad smile flitting onto his features as he recognized the heist it described. It had been one of their favorites, mainly because the youkai whose castle it had been had a habit of stealing human royal treasures and had an abundance of crowns in his vault. They had worn three each on the trip home, mock fighting with the gilded broad swords they'd found in with the treasure.

"Those were the days," he whispered, closing the booklet softly and laying it on his bedside table before stripping for bed. He had only just slid under the dark bedding when his door opened, the light from the hallway haloing Heero as he stood there, hand still on the knob.

"Are you finished with your tantrum?" Heero asked, forcing himself to look only at Duo's face, and not to focus on his bare chest, the pale skin somehow remaining flawless despite all the injuries Duo had taken during the war, with the exception of an old, ring-like one on his stomach and back he'd had when they met. Several others were on his legs, but Duo was extremely tightlipped about them and grew cold whenever anyone asked about them.

"Yeah, for now," Duo said, facing the wall as he lay down on his side, away from Heero. He didn't want the perfect soldier to see him blush. "Thanks for leaving me alone. I needed it. Night. I'm going to get some sleep."

"Duo, whatever it is, if you need someone to talk to, I'm just on the other side of the wall," Heero said, sincerity in his voice.

The braided boy sat up and stared at his partner funny. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Heero?"

Heero smirked, shaking his head. "Hn, baka. Just go to sleep."

"There's the Heero Yuy I know," Duo said, laughing as he flopped back down on the mattress, grabbing a plushy to his chest. It was a silver fox that he'd sewn eight extra tails onto. Duo had spotted the thing among a least a hundred other prizes at a carnival and had proceeded to spend the entire day until he'd won it. When Wufei had teased him about the fox, the Chinese man had been beat mercilessly over the head with it while Duo shouted a revised version of one of Wufei's own speeches on justice at the top of his lungs. "Sleep light and don't get caught in the night."

Heero left the room, slightly puzzled at the odd blessing he'd been told, but passed it off as another saying from Duo's days on L2 as a thief. All that trying to figure Duo Maxwell out ever resulted in was a headache.


	4. Batman Script

A/N: Yeah, I don't own them. 'Tis a pity, that it is.

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Four

It was the first time in Preventors' history that Agent Night, also known as Duo Maxwell, had arrived at work without his customary braid. Instead, the auburn locks fell in nearly invisible waves from a high ponytail. The change in constants attracted quite a large amount of attention.

"Are you doing this on purpose, Maxwell?" Wufei asked with an exasperated sigh as yet another employee came over to their table at lunch, stared at Duo for a minute, and ran away again with a squeak, which was usually accompanied by a blush.

"Fei-chan, my character in the fundraiser has straight hair," Duo pointed out with a grin, winking at the latest of his admirers and making her squeak extra loud before fleeing. "If I don't start letting it straighten out now, it'll never be ready in time. Can I really help it if I look drop-dead gorgeous with a pony-tail?"

"It does suit you," Quatre agreed, turning to the man sitting on his left. "Don't you think so, Heero?

Wing's pilot glanced up at Duo before quickly turning away and busying himself with a stack of applications Une had wanted him to look over. "He looks fine."

Grinning, Duo looked around the room and spotted a splash of red. "Hey, Shuuichi, Hiei, come on over here and sit with us." He waited until the pair had seated themselves next to him and Trowa respectively. "So how was your first training day under Sergeant Monkey-face?"

Hiei smirked, the smaller man speaking. "Monkey-face? I was thinking that he looked like my brother-in-law."

"You really shouldn't be so cruel to Kazuma-kun, Hiei," Shuuichi said with a laugh. "He wasn't _that _ugly, even if he did sometimes resemble a baboon. So Duo, have you gone over the scrip yet? I wonder if Lady Une will allow us to make any changes."

"She'd better," Duo said, grabbing his copy from his back pocket and flipping open to a random page in the middle. "'_Jumping ogres, Kurama, they're after us! I had better fly us to safety before they catch us so that we can continue the heist that we planned last week at the pub._' It sounds like the lines in those old Batman shows. You know the ones. Every time Batman or Robin would land a hit on a villain, they'd flash a big 'biff,' 'pow,' or 'bang' across the screen."

"At least you don't have a long speech about the power of partnership and teamwork in the middle of a fight scene. It's on page…" Shuuichi flipped to a page near the end of the script. "Page seventy-two."

Watching the pair pick their lines apart, Heero felt a twinge of jealously against the redheaded boy. They had just met, but he and Duo were acting with more familiarity than he'd ever had with Duo. It was almost as though the two weren't simply new acquaintances, but rather long lost soul mates. Hiei caught his eye before getting up from the table, silently asking Heero to follow. Once they had left the cafeteria and stood alone in the hallway, the short man turned around and met Heero's eyes directly.

"What did you want?" Heero asked when Hiei failed to say.

"You're concerned about your partner's behavior around the fox," Hiei said, leaning casually against the wall. Heero was cut off before he could object. "Don't bother. I've dealt with people harder to read than you. Maxwell and Shuuichi, myself as well, share a common background, them especially. Where we grew up, you learn to recognize potential allies and friends immediately, and there's little of the preamble that people here are so fond of, and that's all there is to it. He's not going to steal your beloved thief away from you."

Hiei was gone before Heero could react, leaving him startled that the new agent had been able to read his intentions so easily and so quickly when he'd managed to hide them from even Quatre.

Heero didn't see Duo again until he had stopped by the room used for costume fittings later that afternoon to ask Sally, who was helping out with the costumes, about a note she'd made on a trainee's medical report. When he caught sight of the violet-eyed man, his eyes widened in awe. He was beautiful, a striking shadow next to the silver ray of light that was Shuuichi in his own costume. Standing together, the two looked nothing short of the balance of light and dark, good and evil. Hiei, once again leaning against a wall, seemed extremely amused about something in his partner's attire.

"Now, you're free to make alterations to the costumes, but, I'm talking to you especially Duo, they have to go along with the character description on the inside cover of your scripts," Sally was telling them. "Now I did give you those contacts, right Mr. Minamino?"

"I have them," Shuuichi said, nodding as he pulled off the silver wig, his red hair tied up underneath. It came loose with a shake of the head and spilled over his shoulders, where it contrasted greatly with the white tunic. With a sigh of relief, he turned to Duo. "Would you like to come to our apartment to fix those lines?"

Heero took his cue to get their attention. "It's Duo's night to make dinner. He's not getting out of it."

"Your apartment it is then," Shuuichi said without missing a beat. "I'll meet you in the front at five."

The redhead and his partner had left before either pilot could protest the arrangements. After a moment, Duo's face split into a grin. "That guy's as good as I am, no, _better_ than I am. Probably could take over the world before anyone noticed that he was up to something. Kind of reminds me of- Hey Wuffers!"

Seeking out the lady doctor again with a sigh, Heero left Duo alone for the time being. There wasn't a chance that he'd get Duo to finish his verbal thought now.


	5. Theater Disaster

A/N: My foot's falling asleep. Just thought that you should know. Show me some sympathy and leave a review, okay?

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Five

The pair didn't allow anyone but Hiei to watch them practice their skit for the next two weeks, though Heero could see that they worked perfectly together any other time. Despite Hiei's explanation, he couldn't help but to think that he was loosing the braided baka to Shuuichi, or possibly to their common past.

"This is it," Duo whispered, staring at himself in the mirror. An extremely human face stared back, but only for a moment. When Duo glanced up at the glass again, he looked like a mix of his past and present self, Duo's face, Kuronue's ears and wings. Opening the ancient looking box on the counter, he added one last final touch in the form of a red pendant, one he hadn't worn since his parting from the Makai. When he stepped out into the hall backstage, it was to stagger back in shock. Kurama? No, it was just Shuuichi.

The disguised redhead was having a similar reaction to the sight of Duo. Both recovered quickly, putting on nervous smiles.

"Have you checked the audience yet?" Duo asked casually, willing his wings not to move just yet. On stage, people might pass it off as a trick to make them look realistic, but not backstage.

"I haven't, but Hiei says there's a full house," Shuuichi said, glancing back toward the stage door. "It took him two entire pints to convince him to come, and that's after I paid for his ticket."

"Hey, curtain call in five minutes, gentlemen," Une said, walking past them wearing a headset and holding a clipboard. "Great job on those costumes, by the way."

The boisterous crowd quieted down as the lights dimmed and Quatre walked out onto the stage to do the introductions. A collective breath was drawn as the curtains rose into a jungle castle where a battle was already taking place between two breathtaking demons and a continuous horde of ugly ones in matching shifts.

Heero gasped at the vision practically dancing on stage, twin blades flying around him in wide arches, cutting down enemy that fell behind the wall they stood upon. To his back, his kitsune partner wielded a long, green whip toward much of the same effect. Each had a small fortune slung across their backs.

"Where did he learn to move like that?" Wufei whispered, leaning over toward Heero where they sat in the third box, compliments of Quatre, who joined them as soon as his introductions were completed.

"I saw him like this once," the blond said. "It was during the war. OZ had a lot of trouble identifying the bodies afterward. They," he motioned to Duo and Shuuichi's opponents, "are lucky that this is just acting."

On the stage, Duo had to keep reminding himself to pull his attacks, that he wasn't really back in the Makai fighting with his partner and best friend. But man, Shuuichi was good with that whip.

The actors on stage didn't stop their performance when the auditorium doors were slammed abruptly open. They did, however, when the man who came in through them pulled a gun from his jacket, his eyes wild, and began to shout. "Here's a better way to help war orphans! Kill the people responsible for their parents' deaths!" He opened fire, gun pointing directly at Quatre's box and the four pilots within.

Heero didn't have time to react before a bullet slammed into his shoulder, followed by a second lower down the same arm. Wufei made a leap from the box, pulling out the handgun Une had permitted, only to be caught by the third bullet in the knee during mid-jump. Landing wrong, he could feel the bones in his ankle snapping. The fourth bullet went wild, grazing Quatre's cheek and hitting the wall behind him.

It was then that the gunman swung his attentions around to the stage, where Duo was frozen in shock, staring at the unconscious Heero slumped over the box wall. His hands tightened around the handles of his scythes hard enough to leave an indentation in the wood. His eyes began to grow damp.

"At least one of you shows your true face," the man sneered, aiming carefully. He caught sight of the glistening tears leaving Duo's right eye, the others being held back and grinning in his madness. "Oh yes, that's it, cry. Cry just like you made me when you killed my brother, my father, and everyone I cared about! Cry!"

In the back of the hall, crimson eyes widened in realization. Uncaring who saw, he ripped the ward from over his jagan. Youkai was surrounding the supposedly human boy like a thick fog blanket, flickering. Duo was a chimera, barely holding back a full transformation, and the tears of a chimera…

The tears turned a milky white as they grew closer to the man's chin. Instead of falling to the ground as they should have, each assumed a form that was featureless and sexless. The right eyes dried up once there were twenty. "Protect them. Protect the ones I care about, my friends and the innocents here. Protect them."

Shuuichi ducked behind the stage wall, pushing past all of the other actors and technicians. Out of sight, his pulled off the wig and withdrew a seed from the ever-present store kept in his hair. Fortune was upon him in the shape of a flowerpot that would have been used in a later skit. The flower may have been plastic, but the dirt was real enough and would keep the electricity fed vine grounded to the theater. With a shower of sparks, every light in the building went out.

Duo was grateful for the darkness. He didn't anyone to see what he was about to do. His left eye finally released a tear, a single, bloody tear that also took form. But no protector was this creature. Letting go of the last shreds of his human form, Kuronue matched his gaze to the nonexistent eyes of his creation and uttered two words. "Kill him."

In the panic, Quatre heard a single shot before there was a blood curdling scream of a man. Everyone was silent, too terrified to speak.


	6. Makai

A/N: Review or I'll send the dust bunny armies after you all, mwahahahahaha-hack, hack, ha. You get the idea.

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Six

There was a rustle of leather and the sound of feet landing on the edge of their box as Quatre noticed the new presence. An almost familiar voice spoke. "Please don't be afraid. I'm a friend."

In the dim light that the spirit, for lack of a better explanation, emitted, Trowa and Quatre could just make out a tall man with a high ponytail and… wings? He felt familiar to the blond, but he Quatre couldn't quite place him. "Who are you?"

"I'll explain later, thief's honor, but we're going someplace safe first," Kuronue said. Bending down, he lifted Heero into his arms with the utmost care, throwing a worried glance toward the bullet wound. "Someone will need to-" Looking down to where Wufei had fallen, Kuronue felt his mouth run dry. Eyes like liquid gold stared back up at him, reflecting the dim light. Those were no contacts. "Kurama?"

"Kuronue," the kitsune whispered back, equally in shock. It was lucky for Wufei that Kurama didn't drop him.

The two stared at each other until Hiei spoke up, returning to the room after a brief absence. "The door will only be open for a short time. Hurry up."

Kuronue adjusted his grip on Heero, nodding to the hi-koorime before turning his eyes back to Quatre and Trowa. "Follow me and keep close."

"What about Duo?" Quatre asked, glancing in the direction of the stage as though he might be able to see his friend and whether or not the last short had hit him.

"Maxwell is safe," Hiei said shortly, much to Kuronue's relief. "You, can you fly with three passengers?"

"I can only carry two, and one if he's too heavy," the chimera said. "Kurama, do you still carry-"

"Yes," Kurama said as his old partner fell into step beside him with Hiei leading the way and the two mostly uninjured humans following behind. "Hiei, try to contact Yusuke and see if we can borrow Puu."

"Who's Yusuke?" Kuronue asked.

"Raizen's hanyou offspring and successor," Hiei explained, opening his jagan once again and drawing a gasp from the humans. As the seven reached the portal, Kuronue's spirits faded and the lights came back on, giving the pilots an unhindered view of their caretakers.

"You're the youkai," Wufei whispered, eyes wide in shock, "from the play. Maxwell and Minamino were playing you."

"Oh, I think that it was the easiest acting job I've ever pulled off too," Kurama said with a smile. "I was truly ably to 'act like myself.'"

"Only you would make jokes about that, fox-boy," Kuronue said, shaking his head. "After all, you would have spent an hour making fun of yourself on stage if you and Maxwell hadn't changed those lines."

"Urimeshi will meet us on the other side," Hiei said, snapping his two main eyes open as the jagan closed. "He's sent word to Yukina."

"We won't be able to reachKonchuu until tomorrow at the earliest," Kurama said. "They'll need care before then." (1)

"I'm not sure where you live now, but the old den's close enough if we're coming out anywhere near Kamaitachi," Kuronue pointed out. He bent down and moved his hair aside so that it draped over Heero instead of behind him. "Quatre, get on my back, but try not to pin my wings down. Trowa, grab onto me but be ready to get dropped as soon as we go through. Don't worry, you'll be caught by someone." (2)

"Just how long has it been since you flew, Kuronue?" Kurama asked once they'd jumped and were making their way through to the other side.

"Only two years," said the violet-eyed youkai, grinning widely at Quatre's worried look. "No worries. It's like riding a bike."

"Kuronue, you never could stay balanced on a bike," Kurama said, drawing a seed from his hair and tightening his grip upon his charge. "Be ready."

The tunnel ended and they found themselves at least three miles above the forest-covered ground. Kurama's seed burst into life and grew into a plant resembling a large bird attached to his back. A huge blue bird passed under them. Seeing Hiei drop down onto it, Trowa followed suit, landing on its back behind a man with long, messy black hair tied into a ponytail. When he twisted around to look at them, Trowa could see odd markings on his face. "Where to, Hiei?"

"Just follow the fox and the chimera," Hiei said as the two took the lead. He smirked. "And watch out for carnivorous plants."

"Let me guess, one of Kurama's old hangouts?" the toushin asked, raising an eyebrow. "So who are your new friends, or do I have to wait until Kurama has time to tell me?" After a moment of silence, Yusuke shook his head with a sigh. "Right, wait until Kurama has time. I should have known that one already. By the way, when Koenma comes around to yell at us, _you_ two get to explain why you brought four humans into the Makai, all of which feel like they could go one-on-one with the entire Reikai special defense and come out with just a headache from having to stare at their uniforms."

-----------------------------

1. Since I couldn't find any official name for Muroko's, now Hiei's, kingdom, I named it Konchuu, meaning insect.

2. Same deal. Yusuke's kingdom has now been named Kamaitachi by me, meaning beast.


	7. Den

A/N: Wow, people actually liked my idea! Yay! Well, you all know that I (sadly) don't own either Gundam Wing or Yu Yu Hakusho. Send me yummy reviews, and I won't mind a bit of fanart either. (Hint, hint). By the way, could anyone tell me what the three kingdoms are called and who was the ruler of which? Bye bye love you!

* * *

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Seven

Kurama landed first for reasons that became quite obvious as several rather murderous looking plants reached out to be pet by the kitsune. It was only after he had calmed them down that Wufei was set down, still using Kurama's arm to support most of his weight. The others followed suit.

Kuronue whistled. "Man, this place has changed. Guess I should have expected it though. It has been over a hundred years since I've been here after all. I'm going to put Heero down in the guest room, so could you get me some herbs and bandages if you still have any?"

"We keep a supply," Kurama said, leading the group into the cave, which opened up into a rather large house-like structure inside, even if the outer walls were stone. "There are some under the bed in that room, and more in the pantry if you need them."

"Thanks Kurama," Kuronue said. Moving down the hall, he called over his shoulder to Wufei. "Try not to move your leg too much. I'll be back to help you out just as soon as I've taken care of Heero here."

"I'll help," Quatre volunteered, following the pair.

"Go scrub your hands up in that sink over there," Kuronue said once they'd entered the guest room. "And grab me a couple of towels, but not the white ones. Kurama hates washing blood out of white."

Quatre was puzzled by the familiarity of Kuronue's movements as he removed the first bullet, the second having went all the way through Heero's arm. It was as though Kuronue had done the same task many times before, and not once did he falter when he saw the multitude of scars Heero had, a reaction even Sally found had to resist at times.

"Kurama, do you have anything to help him out when he wakes up?" Kuronue asked, reentering the main room, wiping Heero's blood from his hands. "Besides chamomile, I mean. Heero's allergic to the stuff. Found that out the hard way." Wufei stiffened as the demon approached him with a pair of forceps. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you, Fei."

"How do we know that we can trust you?" Trowa asked, dabbing a cloth against the neglected bullet graze on Quatre's cheek.

"He helped Heero," Quatre said, wincing when Kurama handed his lover a bottle of something that looked suspiciously like antiseptic. Trowa sniffed the bottle carefully before applying it to the cloth and cut. "And he feels trustworthy to me."

Wufei crossed his arms crankily before grunting permission. Kuronue made short work of the bullet wound, binding it with practiced hands. "Looks like it might have fractured the bone a little bit, so I'd stay off that leg for at least a week to make sure it heals right. Kind of like the one Heero got a couple years ago when he met the pink princess."

The facts suddenly came together for the blond Arabian and he gasped silently, clamping his mouth shut before he could utter his friend's name.

"So, do you have any sake around here?" Yusuke asked, sprawled across one of the couches in the main room, a room that contained a suspicious amount of valuable objects, six European crowns included.

"Afraid not, Yusuke," Kurama said, sitting as close to Kuronue as possible without losing face. He'd barely been resisting the urge to grab onto his old friend and never let go again. "I just use this den as a traveling stop these days. We cleaned out the sake last time."

"Was that why you had your ears laid back the entire morning after you got to Kamaitchi?" Yusuke smirked when Hiei did, the answer clear. "Who would have thought? Youko Kurama with a hangover."

"Yusuke, remind yourself that my plants do not stop at the entrance," Kurama voice, voice low in a growl.

"Right, no teasing the fox, gotcha."

"Would someone mind telling us what's going on?" Wufei demanded, fed up with being ignored once his wounds had been bandaged. "Why were we brought here, and just where are we?"

"You're in the Makai, the demon world, and we brought you to save your lives," Kurama said, staring directly at the human man. "If Kuronue hadn't interfered, you'd be dead by now."

"Kurama, don't forget that Wufei's a soldier," Kuronue said, raising his hands in a gesture for peace. "I'd be worried if he wasn't suspicious. By the way, since when did you start handing out with the lord types? Last I checked, we were robbing them. How'd you meet?"

"I tried to arrest him," Yusuke said, grabbing a piece of fruit from the table. "It's a long story."

"It'll be a long night," Kuronue pointed out.

"Point," Yusuke said as he settled back into the cushions. "Well, about two hundred or so years ago, I got hit by a car and died. It was apparently too early, so Prince Koenma, this was before he became king and when I was still completely human, brought me back to life. I started working for him as a sort of detective, mainly keeping demons away from humans. Anyhow, first case and boom, I meet Kurama and Hiei who, big surprise, had stolen stuff from Enma and were planning to take over. I win, they start helping me out instead of going to jail, along with Kuwabara, an old sparing victim of him. He's been dead for quite some time. Old age, I think. I work for Koenma for a couple of years, and then I die, _again_. Only this time its because of the last guy Koenma roped into working for him went psycho and wanted to let demons into the human world and kill off the humans. Turns out I had this Raizen guy in my family a few dozen generations back and am half demon. Not quite sure how that works, but the blood brought me back to life as the adorable fuzz ball you see now. Raizen croaks, I become king and here you have your buddy Kurama friends with the Makai kings. Any questions?"

"If you rule Kamaitachi, then why are we going to Konchuu?" Kuronue asked.

"Because Hiei and I are the other two kings," Kurama said softly. "Yomi, I'm sure you remember him, worked his way up after we parted and gained quite some power. Five hundred years into his rule, he sought me out again and I served as his advisor until he chose to retire, giving me the throne. Mukoru took Hiei as her heir and proceeded to die fifty years later in battle, by which time we were already mates. Hiei's sister, Yukina, live inKonchuu now that her mate, Kazuma Kuwabara, has passed on. Yukina is a powerful healer and will be able to help your wounded companions."

The chimera whistled low. "Sounds like I've been further from the loop than I thought in these past years."


	8. Uninvited Guest

A/N: Not much to say this time, except that I **might** be a bit slow on the next update because I start ona summer class tomorrow morning, but that's only two hours a day, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. Unless their creaters have decided to give me a _really _early birthday present, neither Gundam Wing nor Yu Yu Hakusho belong to me.

* * *

Several blue flowers flared into bloom near the door with a sound like bells chiming. Kuronue snickered quietly when Wufei jumped at the sound but quickly shut up under the dark-eyed glare. The Chinese pilot still had his gun after all. 

"What was that?" Quatre asked, staring at the flowers with wide eyes.

"Merely my alarm system," Kurama said. With feline grace, he unfolded himself from his seat and moved toward the entrance. "It would seem that we have a guest."

"By guest you mean would-be intruder, now captive," Kuronue with a smirk, resting his chin on his folded hands. "Since I'm really not in the mood to defend myself if your plants happen to not remember me, I think I'll let you take care of it, old friend."

They could hear the kitsune's laughter long before he reentered the room, leading a red-faced girl with blue hair wearing a pink kimono. Kurama was grinning as he fought to breath between new bursts of mirth. Catching sight of the girl, Yusuke joined his friend while even Hiei smirked.

"You could be a little nicer, you know boys," she said, doing her best to glare through her embarrassment.

"Flew too close again, didn't you, Botan?" Yusuke asked, recovering enough to speak. "That's what, the seventh time that Kurama's had to rescue you this year? Though it is nice of you to 'drop by.'"

"Oh ha, ha, ha, very funny," Botan fumed. "It just so happens that I'm here on official business. Koenma received reports that four humans were just brought through the barrier, and-" She blinked, apparently just noticing the presence of Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa. "Oh, you already found three of them. Any luck on the fourth?"

"Heero's asleep in the guest room," Kuronue said, gesturing with a foot. "And it just so happens that we're the ones who brought them through. So, you're one of Koenma's spirit guides?"

"Yeah, that's Botan, the not-so grim reaper," Yusuke replied for her. "We used to work together."

"The humans are under our care, Botan, so you may tell Koenma that," Kurama said. "If he wishes to speak to us, we'll be inKonchuu by tomorrow."

"It's too bad Duo isn't here," Quatre whispered to Wufei. "I would love to see his expression if he knew the grim reaper was a blue-haired girl who wore pink." Kuronue hid a smile behind his hand, exchanging amused glances with Kurama.

"You know, I could swear that I've taken you over the river Styx before," Botan said, peering closely at the chimera's face. She pulled a small book out of the front of her kimono. "What's your name?"

"Youko Kuronue," he said, his face smug as she paled.

"_Youko Kuronue_?" she squeaked, book falling forgotten from her hands. "As in…"

"As in my old partner and adopted brother," Kurama said. "Apparently self-resurrection runs in the family. Sit down and have some tea before you leave."

"N-no, I'd better hurry back," Botan stuttered, backing up. "Lots of work to do, and Koenma will want that report in. You know how cranky he can get when things aren't done quickly. Um, bye."

Summoning her oar, she flew out as quickly as she could, which, as anyone who'd flown with her before, was pretty fast.

A sleepy yawn was issued from Hiei, signaling Kurama to suggest that they retire for the night.

"Stay with Hiei and I tonight," Kurama suggested to Kuronue, latching onto his arm. "There's plenty of room on the bed. One of the others can stay with Heero in case he awakes. He doesn't know your face yet."

"I'll be there in a bit," Kuronue said, clapping the fox on his shoulder. "I just want to stay in here a bit longer, to sort of absorb the feeling of home again you know?" He winked. "Just don't start something that you wouldn't want me interrupting."

"Baka," Hiei said, but his tone was almost affectionate. Kuronue was loud, but the chimera was likable. He switched to the Makai language. "-The empath wants to talk to you. He knows.-"

"I'll watch Heero," Quatre said, giving his boyfriend a gentle shove in the direction of the bedrooms. "You go and get some rest."

At long last, Quatre was the last human up. He was exhausted, yes, but he just had to talk to Duo, Kuronue, before he missed this chance. Glancing at the blond, Hiei stood, motioning to his mate to follow. Chimera and empath were left along in the firelight.

"So…" Kuronue said, training off. "You figured it out."

"I think I'm the only one," Quatre said, relaxing. His friend didn't look angry at the fact that he knew. "If Heero were awake, he might have noticed the similarities too, but that's Heero Yuy for you."

Listening for a moment in the direction of the sleepers' rooms, Kuronue settled down into the cushions and transformed back into the pilot Quatre had known and fought beside during the war, leaving only his wings and ears as reminders of his true race. Grinning, he snatched the topless hat from head and tossed it onto the Arabian's, making him laugh.

"I'd say 'act your age,' but somehow I don't think that you're really in your twenties anymore, Duo," he said, tipping the brim of the hat up so he could see. "Just how old are you?"

Duo thought for a bit. "Not exactly sure. Over a thousand, I know that. If you want to get more exact, ask Kurama. He raised me. Not the most patient of guardians, I'll tell you that. He seems to have mellowed out a lot since we were separated."

"Now I know why you have such unusual eyes," Quatre mused, leaning foreword over his fists. "At first I thought it was just an L2 peculiarity."

"Na, Solo thought they were odd too, and Sister Helen freaked the first time she saw," Duo said. "One of the reasons I was given the nickname 'Maxwell's Demon.' Get some sleep, Cat. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Kurama was already half-asleep when Kuronue entered the room, but rolled closer to Hiei to give his brother room. For the time being, Kuronue was content.

* * *

A/N: I know Quatre seems to accept things a bit too quickly here, but, my dear readers, you have to remember that our beloved billionaire is a really open-minded person, not to meantion an empath, so he's been sensing that Duo's a bit odd since they've met.Anyway, don't forget to push the little blue button belong and leave me something nice. Love you bye bye! 


	9. Waking

A/N: Hey, I'm sorry for the delay, but here's chapter nine of the fic. There have been some questions asked that I'll be addressing after the next chapter, so check there if you're interested. Due to the irregularity of my updates, I am willing to email update alerts to those reviewers who ask and leave me an address to send them to. Thanks for reading and please review.

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Nine

* * *

It was dark when Heero awoke with a jolt. A dim light was coming from what he realized after a few moments was a flower. With its light, he could just make out old-fashioned Japanese walls and another man on the futon next to his recognizable by his blond hair as Quatre. He bit back a yell when his movement reminded him that he'd been shot, twice. Where were they? 

"Quatre," he whispered, reaching over to touch him with his good arm. The blond pilot stirred, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he rolled over to face Heero. "What happened? The last thing I remember is being shot."

"Wufei was hit in the leg as well," Quatre said, yawning widely. "The man was about to shoot Duo when- I'm not exactly sure what happened. The lights went out and the man screamed. There were these things that glowed and sort of hovered around us for a bit. Youko Kuronue and Kurama, the demons Duo and Shuuichi were playing, actually showed up brought us here to the Makai. I think Shuuichi and Kurama are really the same person, and Hiei's a demon as well. I know it sounds like I hit my head too hard, but it's true. Kuronue actually flew. He carried both of us while you were unconscious, and bandaged both you and Wufei. He and Trowa are sharing a different room. Another demon, Urameshi Yusuke, is here as well. The three, Kuronue being the exception are apparently lords of his world, and have been for some time. Kurama and Hiei are mates, and Kuronue is the adopted brother of Kurama. Heero, if it weren't for the fact that we're still here, I'd think that I had hit my head. It's so unbelievable."

"You didn't mention where Duo is," Heero said, sharp eyes drilling into the blond, who fidgeted. "Quatre, where is Duo?"

"He's safe, but that's all they've told us," he said, looking away. "It was too dark to see anything happening on the stage, but I'm sure he'll be fine. You should go back to sleep, Heero. We're moving again tomorrow morning, to Konchuu, where Jaganshi-san rules. From what they've told us, his twin sister is a healer."

"You trust them?" Heero asked. The empath's intuition when it came to people was rarely wrong.

"I do," Quatre said, nodding as he helped Heero to lie back down and fixed his blanket. "They have nothing to gain from harming us that they don't already have. Don't worry about Duo. My space heart tells me that he content right now wherever he is, and you know that he wouldn't be if he were in pain or a prisoner. Sleep."

Snorting softly at being given an order, Heero shut his eyes again and began to drift off. He was too tired to argue, or to even glare. _Duo, be okay._

There was a strange but slightly familiar voice when he awoke next, and the room was brighter with the light of even more glowing plants. Opening his eyes, he jerked back in surprise to see a pair of violet ones inches from his and set in a face that was _not _Duo's. The face split into a grin before pulling back and allowing Heero to get a better look. The man was pale, with large, pointed ears. Long black hair fell strait from his head and a pair of leather wings peaked from behind his back. Despite the difference in clothes, Heero could tell who it was. "Youko Kuronue?"

"At your service, Heero," he said. "Glad to see you awake. We were all worried about you, soldier-boy. Here, let me help you sit up so you can eat before we go. Quatre's up already and just went to get himself some coffee."

Heero didn't have a choice but to allow the chimera to help him up, propping several pillows behind his back so he wouldn't have to keep holding him. He stared into the tea that was pressed into his hands. "What's in this?"

"Some local herbs Kurama keep around," Kuronue said. "Don't worry, there's no chamomile, and nothing that'll make you sleep. There are, however, a few painkillers that may slow your reflexes slightly, but you'll be wanting them later if you don't drink them now. If it makes you feel better, Wufei watched me the entire time I was making it, and drank some himself."

Still eying the winged man with suspicion, Heero downed the tea, which turned out to be quite sweet. He put down the mug before asking his next question. "What are you?"

Kuronue grinned, spreading his wings behind him and making Heero's eyes widen momentarily. "Don't you remember from the play? I'm a chimera, and one of the best thieves in Makai. Cat'll be back in a few minutes to help you get changed and then we leave. See you outside!"

Heero was left behind in the room, blinking in confusion as he tried to figure out just where he knew that personality from. There couldn't be two of them... could there?


	10. Chocolate Milk

A/N: Lords, that chapter took forever to write, not sure why. Anyway, Heero's awake now and ready to take the Makai by storm… just as soon as his bullet wounds heal up. Koenma'll probably be making an appearance in a chapter or two, and we'll all learn just why Botan left in such a hurry when she figured out just whom our dear Kuronue is. Anyway, insert favorite disclaimer here and don't forget to leave me a review before you leave. By the way, I'm sorry, but I haven't finished the review responses, so they'll be delayed a bit. Oh, one last thing, and it's a shameless insert. My website's coming along nicely and there'll be a link to it in my profile. Check it out. Enjoy the chapter!

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Ten

Chocolate Milk

* * *

Kuronue breathed a sigh of relief as he left the guest room. He definitely wasn't ready to face Heero with the truth yet. Of course, he'd have to come clean with the truth sooner or later, but he definitely preferred later. 

"You're as bad as I was, old friend."

He looked up to meet sympathetic gold eyes. "What do you mean, Kurama?"

The kitsune leaned back against the wall beside him, closing his eyes with a smile. "Your worry. I was the same way once, when I was human."

"When were you ever human?" Kuronue asked, his eyes widening. "I know you don't mean the couple of weeks you were at the Preventors. I know a false face when I see one, so don't try telling me that you were really turned into a human then."

"Oh no, you're correct that it was a false face this time," Kurama said. "But a couple of centuries ago, the same time when I was under probation by Koenma in fact, I was human. You obviously did hear of my death by the hunter."

The chimera's eyes darkened as he shivered at the memory. "Of course I remember. It was the worst day of my afterlife."

"Well, it happened sixteen years before I ever met Yusuke, and eight before Hiei and I met," the kitsune continued. "You see, just before my body died and would have dragged my soul with it, I escaped and fled to Ningenkai, taking over a human fetus before it could be given a soul. For thirty years, I was human, just one with the abilities of a kitsune. When the human body died, I returned to the Makai as yours truly."

"So Shuuichi Minamino was your human identity?" Kuronue asked, raising an eyebrow. Kurama nodded. "Alright, I can believe that from you, but how's it have anything to do with me."

"Shuuichi had a mother."

The nine-tail would say no more as he turned away and left for the kitchen, passing Quatre on the way. The blond cast the brooding Kuronue a curious glance before going into the room beyond, coffee in one hand and a bundle of Makai clothes tucked under the other arm.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Yusuke said when Kuronue entered the kitchen several minutes after his old partner, flopping down on an empty stool and grabbing hold of the coffee pot in a manner that almost caused it to spill, sloshing the dark beverage into a mug in a similar way.

"If you like your treasury where it is, under your possession and intact, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself, kinglet," he growled. "Remember that I've been a thief longer than you've been alive, even with the time I was out of commotion."

"Wishing you'd taken me up on my offer to design your palace security system?" Kurama asked the dark-haired hanyou sweetly as Yusuke cursed. "As it stands, Kuronue can steal whatever he wishes. For him, there can be no politics tied to it."

Kuronue's gloomy expression cleared up as he grinned, throwing an arm across Kurama's shoulders. "But why would I need to keep stealing when my best friend is as rich as Quatre, not to mention a king?"

"Because I did not raise you to be a freeloader, Kuronue, that's why," Kurama said, fixing his old partner with a look. His smile worried Yusuke. "Besides, it's fun."

Both thieves started laughing and even Hiei snickered behind his mug of chocolate milk.

"You're all as bad as Maxwell," Wufei said with an exasperated sigh. This seemed to amuse the three demons even further, causing their laughter to increase.

Trowa glanced between them and decided that he didn't really want to know but would probably find out sometime anyway.

"Heero's finished dressing, and he's rather impatient to leave," Quatre said, walking into the kitchen. "I only barely convinced him to stay in bed until someone could help him, so it would be unwise to make him wait much longer."

"Yeah, I hear you," Kuronue said, standing up and stretched. Wufei winced at the backward angle he achieved, popping sounds coming from his spine. "I'll go fetch him. Hey Kurama, remind me to stop at a tailor's when we get to Konchuu. I only have one set of clothes that fit right now, had a recent growth spurt, you know."

"I'll take care of it," the kitsune said. "I really do owe you a lot, since your death was-"

The chimera spun around violently to glare at the silver king. "Kurama, don't you _dare_ say that it was your fault. I was careless and I paid the price. End. Of. Story. Get ready to leave. I'll meet you outside with Heero in a couple of minutes."

Kuronue made sure to clear his expression before entering the guestroom. After all, what would the great chimera thief prince be without his smile? Inside, Heero was still sitting up, on top of his blanket, but wore the distinct style that was the Makai. Personally, Kuronue thought that he didn't look half-bad in the sleeveless tunic that he'd been lent, a deep blue with green trim.

"You again," Heero said simply, looking up at him.

"No need to get so excited," Kuronue joked, kneeling down next to the human and wrapping the blanket around him. When Heero protested, he chuckled. "Sorry Hee-chan, but I carried you in, and I'm going to carry you out. When I'm taking care of someone, I like to be thorough. Don't feel bad. Kurama'll probably be carrying Wufei if Yusuke's bird doesn't."

Heero glared as he was held in the bridal fashion with Kuronue being mindful of his injuries. "My legs are undamaged, Youko. I can walk." (1)

"But you can't run like that, and you never could fly on your own," Kuronue pointed out. "The Makai is never a safe place, but it's even more dangerous for pretty humans such as yourself."

Heero looked away as his cheeks pinked slightly. "I'm not 'pretty.'"

The thief was thoughtful. "You're right, you're not. Pretty is too soft a word to use. Lovely, gorgeous, beautiful, those would be better."

The human pilot didn't have a chance to argue again as they reached the den entrance. Kurama did indeed carry Wufei on his back while Trowa and Quatre were climbing up onto Puu, who had apparently taken a liking to the blond and his silent shadow.

"If you've finished traumatizing your human, we're ready to leave," Hiei said, his eye under the headband flashing.

"I wasn't traumatizing him," Kuronue defended, shifting his embarrassed load. "We were just talking. So, this sister of yours, is she cute?" He quickly stepped behind Kurama as the fire demon twitched. "No worries, I already have my eye on someone. This Yukina lady is perfectly safe from me. Besides, I don't think I've ever gone after a widow, not even back when Kurama and I were- um, living our youths to the fullest."

Yusuke laughed. "If what I've heard is true, 'living your lives to the fullest' is Youko family talk for 'bedding everything that moves.' You've got quite the reputation. I think nearly the entire population of Makai went into mourning when Kurama got hitched, and to such a possessive guy too."

"Yusuke, out of the two of us, I think I'm more possessive than Hiei is," Kurama said with an exaggerated wink to his mate. "But with such a demon as Hiei, who wouldn't be?"

--------

1. Remember, I'm using Youko as Kurama and Kuronue's last name.


	11. Glory of the Fight

A/N: Insert clever author's note and disclaimer here. It's 4:47 in the morning. I'll too tired to be clever.

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Eleven

Glory of the Fight

* * *

Fighting down a blush, Hiei muttered an embarrassed "Baka" before, to the humans' eyes, vanishing in a blur of black. Kuronue whistled. "So that's why they call him the flying shadow. It's a name well-earned, I'd say." 

"Come on, we'd better get moving if we want a chance of catching up to him," Yusuke said, swinging up onto Puu's back so that Trowa and Quatre were sitting behind him. Hold on tight, kids."

"Is this how you normally travel?" Wufei asked, clinging to Kurama's back as the kitsune ran, dodging the odd tree with lightning fast reflexes. Kuronue flew above them, and Puu just ahead, high enough to be out of the treetops.

"Most of the time," Kurama said, jumping a river without so much as a blink. "Unless you have the advantage of numbers, it's best to move quickly if you want to get anywhere without being attacked at least a dozen times."

"It feels like shopping with Maxwell on L2," the Chinese man grumbled, wincing when he jarred his leg wrong. "Sometimes I wonder if he was actually born here, and not on that damned colony."

Kurama laughed, spotting a dark shape moving ahead of him in the trees. "There's Hiei. Looks like he's letting us catch up."

"Took you long enough," Hiei said, smirking as his mate came up alongside him.

"Well you aren't carrying anyone," Kurama defended playfully.

"You'd still be slower even if I was," the hi-koorime teased back, running backwards with his arms crossed behind him to add to his point. Wufei glanced between the two. With such childlike demons acting as their guardians, he wondered if they would reach the promised city in one piece.

Above them, Heero was giving Kuronue the silent treatment while fighting a blush. Kuronue, on the other hand, was trying his hardest to see that blush. "Really, you are lovely, Hee-chan. I know several demons who'd kill their own teammates to get a lover like you. Blue eyes like a deep lake, oh-so kissable lips, adorably messy hair and that's not mentioning that you have one of the cutest butts that I've seen in a long time. If Kurama hadn't gotten himself a mate, I wouldn't leave you alone with him for a second." Heero had his face turned away from him so that Kuronue couldn't see it, but the tell-tale flush across the back of his neck and the redness of his ears told the demon all he needed to know. "Hey, maybe once you've all healed up, we could go off on a little trip together and 'get to know each other better.'"

That got Heero to whip his head around in order to glare at Kuronue, his face still red. To make matters worse for the pilot, he couldn't even fight the chimera or move away from him since he was carrying the human. "Do you ever stop talking?"

"No, not really," Kuronue said, smirking playfully. "I like talking. It's a hell lot better that silence, and I know silence. Was dead for a couple of years, you see. Happened about two hundred years ago on a heist. Lost my taste for bamboo, that's for sure."

"What happened?" Heero asked, glad for a change in topic.

"See my pendant?" Kuronue asked, waiting until Heero had nodded to continue. "That thing is all that allows me to control my most deadly attack. We were fleeing from a heist when the chain snapped. Of course, I went back for it, and got caught by the bamboo traps. One of them went straight through my stomach. Most painful thing I've experienced in my life, I'll tell you that."

"Your most deadly attack?" the pilot wondered out-loud.

"Don't worry about it," his companion said. "Unless we're in a seriously bad situation, you won't ever see it. Me, I prefer to use my scythes, much more dependable, and a heck of a lot safer to the people that I _don't _want hurt. There's a reason that chimera are so rare these days, and it's not because we-" The chimera cut off as he landed softly on a tree branch, ears perking. "There's a battle ahead."

"I don't hear anything," Heero said, straining his senses.

"You wouldn't." Stilling his wings, Kuronue closed his eyes and concentrated on simply listening. "At least a dozen, six pairs of wings… Kurama's fighting them." Purple eyes snapped open as he left from the branch, slinging Heero over one shoulder while the other hand unhooked a scythe from his belt. Moments later, a streak of silver became visible down on the ground through the trees. "Hey Kurama, just like old times, eh?"

"Just like old times," the kitsune agreed. Heero's embarrassment at being carried like a sack was mollified slightly at the sight of Wufei receiving the same treatment, the Chinese man yelling Mandarin curses at his guide. A white blast of energy shot down an attacker before it could slash Kurama from behind, having used its fallen comrade as a distraction. "Thanks Yusuke."

Above them, Quatre watched in horror from his place on Puu's back, sitting behind Yusuke, who'd just fired the sniper shot. Trowa placed a reassuring hand on his partner's shoulder, keeping a sharp eye on his two fellow pilots trapped in the battle. "They're used to fighting one-handed."

"They're the best thieves in Makai, what'd you expect?" Yusuke asked, firing a second shot into the fight. His target jumped back at the last second. "Damn, I missed. Wish the trees weren't so fucking thick so we could get in there and help."

One dark shadow stood at Kurama's back while another danced around the pair, leaving behind a trail of bloody corpses as he avoided enemy attacks and stayed out of the way of whip and chained scythe.

"They never stood a chance," Quatre whispered, staring as Kuronue stepped over half of a body, the other half laying several feet away. Memories of the last time he'd seen Duo fight with his scythes floated to the surface of his mind. Human or demon, the results had been the same.

"Looks like some of your old colleges," Hiei said, prodding one with his shoe. "Pathetic bandits. Didn't even know who to avoid picking a fight with."

"So close to the border too," Kurama added, shifting Wufei in his arms back to a more comfortable, not to mention more dignified, position as Kuronue did the same for Heero before the human could think to pull on his wings.

"We can worry about that later," Kuronue said, flicking blood from his weapon before replacing it on his belt. "We're burning daylight here."

The other two demons nodded in agreement, starting in the direction ofKonchuu once again.


	12. Yomi

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Twelve

Yomi

The sun was just starting to set when they reached Konchuu, the city walls of the capital looming above them. Then guards were posted at the gate, and scrambled to open the great door as they spotted Hiei and Kurama among the party approaching. Yusuke landed Puu in the clear space around the walls, helping Quatre and Trowa down from the phoenix. They'd barely stepped foot inside the city when a female voice rang out.

"Onii-san, you're back!"

A blue-haired young woman ran up and hugged Hiei before he could so much as move. Despite hundreds of years having passed, the fire demon had yet to grow accustomed to Yukina calling him her brother and the title still startled him.

"Good evening, Yukina-chan," Kurama said with a soft laugh at his mate's expression. "We've brought your patients."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yukina-san," Quatre said, bowing in greeting to the small girl who'd been labeled as their healer. "I'm Winner Quatre. These are Barton Trowa, Yuy Heero and Chang Wufei."

"And I'm Youko Kuronue," Kuronue said, bowing as well as one could while carrying an injured person. "It's a wonder to finally meet you, sister-in-law."

"I'll explain over dinner," Kurama said when the koorime sent him a startled glance. The kitsune's attention was instantly drawn to a dark figure immerging from the shadows. "Yomi, what are you doing here?"

"When I heard that you'd returned from your vacation early and were heading here, I had to learn why, Kurama," the blind demon replied, turning toward Kuronue with a frown. "Have I heard right. You're alive again, Kuronue?"

"You've gotten a lot older, Yomi," Kuronue said, smiling. "It's been a long time since we've _seen_ each other."

Yomi chuckled at the joke. "I see you haven't changed much over the centuries. You know, Kurama, nearly three fourths of our old forces has massed here and Gondara since this morning. News of our prince's resurrection's been spreading quickly. Rumor has it that we're planning on leaving politics to return to our old lives."

"Not a chance, as tempting as it is sometimes," Kurama said, following Hiei as he and his sister led them through the streets. "We wanted power, and now we have it." Noticing people eying his human companions, he motioned them closer. "Stay near us. Human flesh is a popular dish around these areas."

"I'm afraid there aren't any cooks around here that can prepare it quite as nicely as our dear lady of the Gondara kitchens can though. Just a week ago, I enjoyed one of her delicious meals. It was a thigh, I believe. About eighteen years old or so and very tender," Yomi added, smirking as Quatre gave a small squeak of fear, edging away from Yomi and closer to Yusuke, who, being half human, was much less likely to eat them.

"Ah, cut it out, six-ears," the hanyou snorted, ruffling the blonde's hair. "You did the same thing around Keiko and Kuwabara, and it was irritating then. My old man _only_ ate humans." Quatre's eyes widened and he abruptly changed his mind to walk closer to Kuronue. With Duo he at least _knew_ he was safe. "You don't see me going around telling that to every human I meet on good terms."

"Please stop, you're bothering our guests," Yukina asked, pausing in her steps to fix each of them with a look, even the blind Yomi. She raised her voice, sending a glare frighteningly similar to her brother's toward a shopkeeper who'd been watching them. "That goes for you too, Akito-san. Go tend to your costumers."

The green skinned demon found himself very busy inside his shop away from his king's sister.

"You've been practicing," Hiei murmured with a small smile. Yukina smiled brightly in reply to the praise.

"You're teaching Yukina to glare?" Yusuke asked incredulously. At Hiei's confirming smirk, the dark-eyed man began to crack up, clutching his side. "Gods, I wish Kuwabara were still alive, just so I could see his expression when he found out."

Interlude:

"He's doing _what_ to my darling Yukina?"

Miserable, the young king of the underworld paused in his task of seeing how many times he could pound his head against the top of his desk before it split. "You heard them as well as I did, Kuwabara, and saw the glare itself. She's quite good." His piece said, Koenma returned to his important experiment while the ghost of one Kuwabara Kazuma moaned in agony. Maybe he shouldn't watch TV when other people were there anymore.

Back to the story

Immediately upon entering the castle, the mixed party was set upon by a mob of worried servants, who, frighteningly enough, reminded Quatre of his sisters. Glancing at his employees with wide eyes (an expression that sent them into another flurry of nurturing) Hiei flickered away to watch them from the safety of the high arches that lined the entry hall.

"What just happened?" Wufei asked, dazed, as they were deposited in a large sitting room, a blanket wrapped securely around each of them. A tray with ten cups of tea steamed softly from the table.

"Hiei's staff happened, that's what," Yusuke said, loosening his blanket in order to grab one of the cups. "It's best to just let them do their thing and try to figure out which way is up later. By the way, did you know that there's a smiley face on your splint?"

"This is the last time I let you have any say on hiring new staff, fox," Hiei growled, glaring at his mate, who was curled up in what was easily recognized as the softest of the blankets. His shoes had even been replaced by a warm pair of slippers matching the silk ribbon that bound his hair back from his face in a ponytail.

"I don't see any problem with them," Kurama said contently. "They do a wonderful job at welcoming you home after a long journey… or a trip around the gardens."

"They're obsessive," the fire demon growled back.


	13. Tea and Talk

A/N: Hey, sorry about the wait. Five months. Wow. I have done worse though. Anyway, here's the new chapter, brought to you today by the miracle of caffeine. Since I never did find out if the other two kingdoms had names, I've titled Muruko's kingdom, now Hiei's, Konchuu, and Yusuke's kingdom Kamaitachi. I don't own anything. Oh yeah, and don't mind the abrupt start. I didn't want to have to rewrite what I'd had before. Read and review.

A Thief in One Life, a Thief in the Next

Chapter Thirteen

Tea and Talk

"Says the demon who used to almost kill himself training," Yusuke snorted.

"He wasn't that bad, Yusuke," Kurama defended.

"Was too," was Yomi's piece.

"I've never known you to quibble, Yomi," the kitsune said, shooting a shrewd look at him that was wasted on the blind demon.

"We surprise each other every day, old friend," Yomi commented, bringing his cup to his lips to take a slow sip. "Though if I had staff like yours under my command, they would be my strategists, not my maid servants."

While the others talked, Yukina set her tea and blanket aside, walking over to Wufei. "I could heal you now if you would like."

Wufei nodded to the koorime, jolting as his leg chilled from her touch. Smiling apologetically, she set to work, mending bone and putting torn and brushed muscle to rights. Skilled hands removed the splint with practiced ease. The Chinese man gasped when there was no pain. "Amazing…"

"You may wish to refrain from walking on it too much for another day still, Chang-san, but the break has been repaired," she said before moving to Heero, who was, much to his chagrin and Kuronue's amusement, seated on the chimera's lap, the pair of them sharing a large blanket. "I suspect that it'll be the same with your arm, Yuy-san."

"I apologize if this is a rude thing to ask here, Yukina-san, but what are you?" Quatre asked, awed with her abilities.

"Think nothing of if," she said, smiling brightly. "I'm a koorime, an ice maiden. We're natural healers and I myself have done extensive training."

Yusuke toasted the healer with his teacup. "Hear, hear. I've lost count of how many times she patched us up after missions."

"Missions?" Heero asked, eyes narrowing.

"Oh yeah, forgot that you were still unconscious when we went around explaining things," Kuronue said, resting his chin on Heero's head, much to the human's annoyance. "Yusuke, along with my brother and brother-in-law, used to be in charge of keeping the demon masses in line and out of the human world. Detectives of sorts."

"But we've been retired from that job for a long time," Kurama added in. "Though I do believe that ruling is a task far more demanding."

"Not to mention more hair raising for Koenma-sama," a woman's voice said from the door. The woman in the pink kimono from before, Botan, stood there. "The three of you made him nervous enough when you were serving under him, but now ruling the Makai? If he weren't a god and so young, I think you'd have killed him through stress one of you causes him alone."

"Hey, the lady of death is back," Kuronue said cheerfully, waving to her. She squeaked and started to inch away. "I know, I don't bite much anymore. Would it help if I apologized for sinking your oar when you ferried me over last time?"

"How do you sink a flying oar?" Quatre asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Don't you dare tell him," Botan said quickly as the chimera opened his mouth to explain. "Do you know how much trouble I was in by the time I made it back to the office? Ferry girls and souls are not supposed to actually go into the River Styx! I had to do all of Koenma-sama's paperwork for nearly two years, and that was on top of my normal duties! We got so behind it took us nearly five years to catch up!"

"So that's why it was so easy to steal things from the vault for those years," Kurama mused, smiling innocently when Botan sent him a withering glare. "Really Botan, I was a thief. Did you expect anything different from me?"

"_You_ raised him," she growled out, threateningly raising the oar that had materialized. "So by proxy, it was _your_ fault."

"Why are you here, ferry girl?" Hiei asked, scowling.

She squeaked again under the force of the glare. "Koenma-sama's coming here tomorrow night to investigate the humans' presence here."

"Should we be honored that the lord of the underworld himself is coming to see that we aren't torturing the poor creatures to death?" Yomi asked humorously.

Yusuke smirked. "His new detective's probably just too afraid that we'd serve him up for dinner to come without the full special defense team, and Koenma knows how we feel about them." The last part of the comment was said with a meaningful glance toward Kurama, who glowered at the title. "And I guess the royal brat thinks that we wouldn't hurt an old friend."

"Actually, he has some questions he needs to ask Kuronue-san about his activities over the past eighteen or so years," Botan said with a careful glance toward the chimera, who gulped. "Especially the last four."

"Hey, I did that stuff in human form, with a human identity and human abilities," Kuronue protested. "I'm sure there's a loophole in the laws about that stuff."

"Which is one of the three reasons that you haven't been arrested already," the ferrier admitted. "He's had the oni looking into it."

"And the other two reasons?" Kurama prompted, eyebrow raised.

The woman was stopped from answering immediately by a pair of servants entering and forcing her into a chair before pressing a steaming cup into her hands. A third wrapped a blanket around her shoulders firmly before all three vanished, leaving a confused grim reaper and several amused demons. "What just happened?"

A sound that suspiciously resembled a snort came from Yusuke's direction.

"Oh, right, the other reasons," Botan said, gathering her wits to her. "Well, as you can probably guess, one of them goes furry every sickle moon and isn't allowed to enter any gardening contests because he'd always win." She cast a meaningful glance toward the kitsune. "And I don't think you really want me saying the other in front of the humans here, and I like my head where it is, thank you."

"How long can you stay this time, Botan?" Kurama asked, a friendly smile putting the woman at ease. Business was over, so they could be old friends again.

"Koenma-sama thought that it would be better if I didn't try coming home at night, and it's rather pointless to fly to Reikai in the morning only to turn right around, so I'm allowed to stay at least until Koenma-sama completes his work here."

"I, however, should be leaving for Gondara now that I've finished my tea," Yomi said, standing up and leaving his blanket folded on his chair. "I trust your party will come there soon as well?"

"Of course," Kurama said, nodding. "Just as soon as Chang and Yuy have fully healed."

"Not me, I'm afraid," Yusuke said. He set down his empty cup on the table. "I'm headed back home after I've seen Koenma. I love my generals, really, but they don't know how to stand up to Asato in the slightest. Like Keiko used to say, like grandmother like granddaughter. I don't want to have to rescue Chuu after he's lost a drinking game to her again."

"So Botan, how is that little _project _of Koenma's going?" Kurama asked once Yomi had left, led by yet another servant despite the unnecessity of the act.

The ferry girl smiled brightly. "He finished the paperwork for it yesterday. Of course, processing will take a while, and then there's the preparation and the actual act, but all of that should be done by the end of next month."

"Next month? Wow, I'd better get to work preparing him a room then," Yusuke said, blowing hair from his eyes. "Really doubt that he wants to stay here all the time."

"Him?" Yukina asked, tilting her head to the side. "Who are you talking about? Botan?"

"It's a surprise," Botan said with a grin. "You'll have to wait to find out. Koenma-sama's been working on it for years."

A slumping of the body in his arms alerted Kuronue to the fact that Heero had fallen asleep during their conversation, and a quick scanning of the room showed that he hadn't been the only human to do so. "Alright, I think it's time for all of us to call it a night. Wouldn't you say so, Kurama?"

Seeing that his mate had also dropped off, seeing no reason not to, Kurama nodded. "I believe so. Botan, Yusuke, the usual rooms?"

"That would be wonderful, but I think I need a bath first," Botan said with a happy sigh.

The various demons and spirits pulled themselves to their feet, nudging the humans awake enough to follow servants to guest rooms. Kuronue voted to carry Heero and let him sleep. "Goodnight everyone. There had better be coffee in the morning."

"Only you, Kuronue," Kurama laughed softly. The sitting room was empty within moments.


	14. Coffee and Kisses

A/N: I love my life. My sister just got a job, which means I spend most of the day without any computer competition, and my parents are both gone most of the day, so I can listen to whatever music I want, no matter how raunchy, at any volume I want. And to top it all off, I have rehearsals three times a week, and they're a blast. So yeah, life is good. Which is probably be why I've been able to update so often lately. Course, life would be better if I owned Gundam Wing and Yu Yu Hakusho, but I don't. Sad. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter. Read and review!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Fourteen

Coffee and Kisses

It was a sleepy group of demons, humans and spirits who trudged down to the kitchens in various forms of half-dress. The head cook glowered at them from a corner, but didn't dare to do anything else. Blue hair fell unbound around both pairs of female shoulders and Hiei had to half-carry his mate, a funny sight considering their difference in height. Heero was just lethargic enough to allow Kuronue to help him along and guide the pilot to the surprisingly human coffee pot.

"Kuronue, could you mix up some of your lovely wake-up drinks?" Kurama asked, raising his head a fraction from the counter to look at his brother with pleading eyes. Hiei just rolled his.

Grinning, the chimera nodded, looking around the kitchen to count drooping heads. "Alright, four Youko specials coming up. You'll have to tell me you keep stuff though."

"Midori-san," Hiei said in way of introducing the cook.

"Tell me what you want and I'll get it," the demoness said, arms crossed firmly over her chest, all four of them.

"Ah, can't remember the names, just let me go poke around," Kuronue said, shaking his head cheerfully. Midori scowled. "Please, Midori-san? I won't make a mess, promise." He didn't wait for a reply before bouncing past the woman and into the spice pantry. When he flew back out, his arms were full of jars that held familiar spices.

"Our friend Duo keeps a lot of those," Wufei said, giving the jars a suspicious glance as Kuronue set to work mixing the contents in coffee mugs.

"That's funny. Those only grow in the Makai," Yukina commented, accepting a cup of morning tea from her brother. "And they're all illegal to export."

"Someone must have snuck them across the barrier," Kuronue said with a grin, briefly catching Quatre's eye and making him giggle.

Catching the pass despite his sleep clogged mind, Heero frowned. Things were adding up to something, but he couldn't figure out what just yet.

It wasn't long before everyone was settled with something to drink, the four 'Youko Specials' going to Kurama, Yusuke, Botan and Heero. As the pilot had suspected, the drink tasted exactly like the one Duo had made him several weeks before. There was no mistaking the flavor.

"Where did you learn this recipe?" he asked with narrowed eyes, holding up his empty cup.

It was Kurama who answered. "I taught him. Back when we were still thieves, we found that a lot of us had hangover problems after victory parties. That can be dangerous for people in our old lifestyle, so I fiddled around with various plants and such until I got it as a result. It's also useful for the anti-morning people like ourselves, as I'm sure you've noticed. It's a family recipe."

"I wonder what the tabloids are making of our disappearance," Quatre said, changing the subject as he noticed the panic in Kuronue's eyes. "With the blackout and then our vanishing without a trace. Not to mention the blood spots that Wufei and Heero are bound to have left behind."

Wufei snorted. "I want to know what happened to the coward who attacked us."

"He was taken care of," Kuronue said, his grin more than a little sinister. "I don't like people who attack those who I- those who aren't prepared, unless they're in war."

"Why did you save us?" Trowa asked, voice more curious than demanding.

Kurama smiled softly, flicking a nearly invisible glance toward his brother. "It was as a favor to an old friend."

After breakfast, the group split up to wait until evening. Wufei, Trowa and Quatre followed Kurama to the library while Hiei found himself herded off to his office, much to the amusement of Yusuke, who vanished into the Konchuu barracks to gamble with the soldiers. Botan snuck off to play with Puu. This left Heero in the care of Kuronue. So far, he wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing. At least the chimera wasn't insisting on carrying him anymore. Instead, Kuronue walked jauntily beside him with hands clasped behind him.

"I was born not too far from here, you know," Kuronue said to fill the empty air. "Mom died giving birth to me and Dad got himself killed angering the wrong demon. So I was alone until I met up with Kurama." The thief snickered. "I was trying to steal his coin purse and bit him in the tail to get away. It didn't work all that well."

"You bit him?" Heero asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kuronue grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Hey, he had me by the arm so I couldn't fly and his tail was the easiest thing to reach. And believe me, little youkai teeth are sharp."

"I take it that you've found this from experience," the pilot said with a small laugh. The volume rose when Kuronue pulled one wing around to show a series of miniature bite scars.

"I wasn't the only brat Kurama took into the gang, and apparently I'm 'good' with kids," the demon said with a rueful look. "I think they just wanted to eat me."

"They sound like the L2 kids Duo sometimes talked about," Heero said.

Kuronue grinned, a glint in his eyes. "It's been the joke for a long time that L2 isn't really a part of the Ningenkai, but is actually on the edge of the Makai, and that all native born are at least part youkai if not full blood."

"Knowing Duo, that may just be true," Heero said, shaking his head. "He does look the part sometimes. Only human I've ever seen with violet eyes." He looked up to see the other's face directly in front of him. "What?"

The chimera tipped his head to the side. "You're cuter when you smile." He paused for a moment, eyes scanning carefully over Heero's face before coming to a decision.

Blue eyes flew wide as he felt lips on his cheek. The pair stared at each other for a moment before Kuronue reddened and he fled, leaving behind a very confused pilot in the hallway. Heero reached up to touch the spot where he'd been kissed, staring down the hallway where the chimera disappeared to. What did it mean?


	15. Tear Path

A/N: Hey, great to be back. I'm slowly coming along on updates, and I thank you for your patience with me on the delay. Things are finally starting to move a bit quicker for our beloved characters, and secrets are becoming unraveled. Insert your favorite disclaimer here, add a few witty author comments… and wa la, I'm going to bed.

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next" 

Chapter Fifteen 

Tear Path 

It was dinner before Heero got the chance to talk to Kurama alone. Since the two were brothers, adopted or not, the pilot figured that if anyone could figure out why the chimera did what he did, not to mention his reaction, it would be the kitsune. Especially since he hadn't seen any traces of Kuronue since the kiss.

When he caught up to Kurama, he was heading toward the dining hall, a light book in hand. "Kurama?"

The kitsune looked up in mild surprise, taking in the disheveled expression on the stoic human's face. "Heero? Is there something wrong?"

"There's something I need to ask you," Heero said, not meeting the kitsune's eyes. Why he was so embarrassed, he didn't really know. Perhaps the chimera's reaction to the kiss had rubbed off on him. "About Kuronue's species."

Long fingers caught Heero under the chin and forced him to look up into concerned golden eyes. "What happened?"

"He kissed me."

"That's nothing to be worried about," Kurama said, releasing the pilot as he tipped his head in confusion. "I'm not trying to put it off too lightly, but what Yusuke said about my brother and I when we were younger was true. To say it plainly, we kissed a lot of people, and often more than that. There's something else, isn't there?"

"Well, he-"

"Kurama, what's taking you so long?" Kuronue stuck his head out from around the corner. "Dinner will get- oh. Yeah, I'll save you a seat…" Catching sight of Heero, the winged youkai flushed and vanished back the way he had come.

"He did basically that afterwards," Heero finished, once again finding himself staring at the last spot he'd seen Kuronue.

Glancing back and forth between Heero and the corner, Kurama drew a sharp breath. "Heero, _where_ did he kiss you?"

"Is that really important?"

"Extremely."

When Heero's fingers touched the exact place on his face, the kitsune's eyes widened. In an instant, Heero jumped back as he found himself up close and personal to Kurama, who appeared to be… sniffing him?

"Did he bite you at all?" the fox asked, drawing back, his suspicions confirmed. "Anywhere, especially around the neck?"

Utterly at a loss, Heero shook his head. "What is this all about? Why would it matter where I was kissed, and why would you think that Kuronue would have bitten me?"

"Because, if he had bitten you, then you pretty much wouldn't have a choice in the matter," Kurama said, running an agitated hand through his hair. "Inari, Kuronue, why'd you leave it to me to explain this to him? Heero, do you know the significance of a chimera's tears?" The soldier shook his head slowly. "Alright then, I'll try to summarize it for you. The only time one of them ever cries past puberty is when someone they care deeply about is being hurt and needs protecting while the one who harms them is punished. You see, the tears from a chimera's right eye summon, or turn into, I'm not exactly sure, creatures that protect whomever the crier wishes for the duration of their life. It isn't long. The left eye, however, creates demons worse than you'll ever find here otherwise. They'll attack and murder anyone left unprotected by their good twins within such a distance from the chimera that cried them. Are you following me so far?"

"I think so," Heero said. "But what does it have to do with anything?"

"A chimera's kiss on the tear path is a sign of ultimate trust, Heero," the kitsune said, smiling softly. "It goes back to the tradition of drinking an equal mix of another's tears to prove yourself true. Heero Yuy, a kiss there is the chimera equivalent of going down on one knee in front of someone. He's asked you to become his mate."

Heero stood there, frozen, for quite some time. Him? Sure, Kuronue was beautiful, and incredibly interesting, but… the reason Heero liked him so much was because he reminded him of Duo.

"Don't feel like you have to decide right away," Kurama said, briefly resting a hand on his shoulder. "It's not something to be rushed. My brother will wait."

-

When Wufei had pictured the lord of the underworld, he had imagined a large, imposing man with a sword, much like the paintings of the former king Enma he had seen. Somehow, the small young man with brown hair in red and blue silk didn't quite fit the bill.

"Do the three of you realize how much paperwork all this is causing me?" he growled at the three demon lords over the cup of tea that Hiei's overpowering staff had forced upon him upon the new king's arrival. "And, unlike my father, I have no son to dump it on!"

"Ah, come on, Koenma, I barely had anything to do with it this time," Yusuke said. "What was I supposed to do, let them plummet to their deaths?"

"I'm afraid that that would have created even more forms that would need to be filled out," Botan commented helpfully from her place next to her employer. "Kurama, Hiei, why did you bring them to the Makai in the first place?"

"Kuronue was already rescuing them, so it wasn't as though we had anything to lose by bringing them here," the kitsune said, sprawled out over one entire couch, face pointing up toward the ceiling. Hiei sat on the rug next to him, idly toying with a silver tail. "Besides, I'm sure that it's turning out to be a blessing. For one thing, you would have needed to track him down to correct your records anyway. Your task is a lot simpler now."

"Speaking of Kuronue, where is Heero?" Yusuke asked.

"I'm not sure if I want to try to follow that leap of logic," Wufei said with narrowed eyes, shooting suspicious glances between the two Youko brothers. "But Heero is in his room. He said he wanted some privacy to think."

There was a hopeful flash in Kuronue's eyes. Since he knew that Koenma would round on him too as soon as the other pilots had left, the chimera figured that he might as well stick around and listen in until his turn came up. In the mean time, he let his attention wander toward the slowly clearing sky outside the window, and his eyes began to drift shut.

Suddenly, they shot open again. The sky! If the weather continued like it was, it was going to be a clear night, the first he'd seen in Makai since a decade before his death. He knew exactly who he wanted to share it with.

When Wufei entered the room that he and Heero had been given to share since Kurama thought the humans might be uneasy rooming alone in the unfamiliar place, he held in his hand a folded note. The brief glance at it before Kuronue had folded the thing into the shape of a crane revealed elaborate calligraphy, but it had vanished within itself before the Chinese pilot could read what it said.

Shaking his head, Wufei handed the note to Heero, shrugging in response to the questioning glance he was sent before the bird was deftly unfolded, so that the writing was once again readable. The message was simple, though Heero's eyes lingered on the handwriting more than on it words themselves. He didn't need to ask who it was from.

"_Midnight. Courtyard. Fly with me._"


	16. Flight

A/N: Wow, this chapter was difficult to write, so I'm not going to put much of an author's note on it this time. Let's just say that I hope you like it and leave me a kind review. Enjoy.

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Sixteen

Flight

If he had been sharing a room with Duo, who was far too used to his sleeping habits than he necessarily liked, Heero didn't think that he would have gotten away with faking sleep as he did with Wufei. The pilot wasn't sure why he'd decided to keep the meeting a secret from his comrade, but something told him that an important event was about to take place, one that he didn't want any others present for.

As it was, Heero slid silently from the sheets a few minutes before Makai midnight, casting a bare glance to the sleeping Wufei, body curled only slightly as though used to sleeping on a narrow futon. Pulling back on the shirt and tunic he'd worn to dinner, he snuck out.

To his surprise, there were still some youkai milling around the hallways as though it were mid noonday, chattering in politely quiet voices. Glancing at their larger than normal eyes, he figured that they, like many human world animals, were nocturnal.

"Are you lost, young one?" a particularly pale woman with red eyes asked in amusement, flashing fang.

_Vampire?_ he wondered, shaking his head. "I'm meeting someone."

"Awfully late to be meeting someone, even for a nighttime tryst," she said, stepping rather close to him.

"I didn't arrange the meeting," Heero said flatly, holding back a glare. "The baka chimera did."

"A chimera?" she asked, considering. Her smirk was somewhat disappointed. "You must mean our lord's brother-in-law. Pity. Well then, be off. I doubt he'd like it if you were late, and I don't want to be the cause." Her eyes flashed subtly before she pointed down a hallway. "The courtyard's that way."

Thanking her, he hurried down the direction she'd indicated, not wanting to be stopped by any of the other nighttime youkai wandering around their business.

At first glance, Heero found the courtyard to be empty, lit only by rare moonlight. When one of the many shadows of statue-topped pillars rustled its wings, he turned and looked up directly into violet eyes.

"You came," Kuronue said softly, though Heero was able to hear him clearly, as well as the almost tangible relief in his voice.

"There's something I wanted to know," Heero said, not once taking his eyes off of the chimera who in turned watched him intently.

"I'll tell you everything, but first, there's something _I _have to know," the youkai said as he nimbly leapt down from his perch. Heero's breath caught at the sight. Midnight black hair trailing behind him in the wind, left unbound for the first time since their arrival in Makai, splaying across bare shoulders as wings spread just in time to stop the chimera's fall a bare two feet from Heero, holding him in the air. Smiling, Kuronue extending a hand toward the human. "Will you fly with me?"

"Why tonight?" the pilot asked, glancing between the hand and the face in front of him.

"The sky is clear, and I wanted to share it with you," Kuronue said, allowing his eyes to momentarily drift upward toward the moon. "It's too rare to miss."

"Where will we fly to?"

A wistful smile formed on the demon's lips. "The highest point we can find."

Despite the fact that Heero was still a little unsure about the whole thing, he bit down on his nerves and reached for Kuronue's hand, allowing himself to be lifted into the youkai's embrace and from the ground. With several sweeps of powerful wings, they were leaving the courtyard far behind.

For wearing so little and being so pale, Kuronue's arms were oddly arm, a detail Heero was grateful for as he pressed into them, resting his head against the bare chest, to fight off the chill of night and altitude as they rose higher. His own arms were wrapped around Kuronue's neck to provide for greater stability, meaning that he could feel muscles moving under flesh as the youkai's wings danced on the air, keeping them both aloft.

Kuronue set down in a nest that, oddly enough, appeared to be a living part of the tree upon which it rested atop. Having seen what some of the local plants were capable of, Heero worried for a trap until he noticed a single silver hair that had caught on one of the interwoven branches. The chimera followed his line of site and chuckled, letting his companion slide down him until bare feet met the sturdy bottom of the nest. "One of my brother's spots, no doubt. Which means…" He leaned over the edge of the nest far enough that Heero wondered how he kept from falling. "Ah ha!" Triumphant, Kuronue pulled himself back up one-handed, the other holding firmly onto a thick blanket.

Before Heero knew what had happened, he'd been picked up again and then dropped, though gently, onto a now partially spread blanket that was lining the inside of the nest. Flopping down beside him, Kuronue grabbed the sides of the blanket and wrapped them both up together, pulling Heero partially on top of him and wrapping an arm around his waist underneath the blanket.

"What-" the pilot began to protest before being cut off.

"Don't worry, I won't try anything," Kuronue assured him quickly, grinning at the human's flush. "Not until you tell me I can, anyway. Promise. You just looked a little cold. Besides, you'll be more comfortable this way, and you always want to be comfortable for sky watching."

"Sky watching?" Heero wondered out loud.

"Yeah, clear nights are really rare in Makai," the chimera said, turning his eyes upwards. "They only happen every thirty years or so. When I was younger, Kurama and I would climb as high as we could every time the sky was clear, just to watch the stars."

"To rename the constellations every time," Heero said without thinking. Where had that come from?

Oblivious, Kuronue nodded against Heero's shoulder. "Exactly. We'd always forget between clear skies, and it was fun to name them again even if we remembered. Take that grouping there." He raised an arm to point of a cluster of stars. "When I was little, maybe only a century or two, I named it Sakura, after a girl I'm met in a village we had passed through the night before because it reminded me of a comb she had been wearing in her hair. What does it make you think of?"

If they had been in the Ningenkai, Heero would have undoubtedly rattled off the official name of the constellation, but the Makai sky was unfamiliar to him, forcing the soldier to actually look, focussing and unfocussing his eyes a few times. If you ignored some of the dimmer stars, pretended that one was a little more to the right… "A cross."

The body beneath him stiffened a little, and Heero thought he saw a hand reach instinctively for something around the other's neck before closing on nothing. "A cross? What made you think about that?"

"Duo always wears one," he said, thinking. Something about that gesture, about Kuronue's words, seemed so familiar. The answer was just below the surface of his mind, he knew it. It was like a frozen lake. If he kept chipping, the ice layer would break and he'd be able to get at it.

"I had one, but it was left behind when we brought you four here," Kuronue said softly, forcefully looking nowhere but the sky.

Heero raised an eyebrow. "You're Christian? I'd have thought being a demon wouldn't allow that."

"No, I'm not Christian, but it belonged to a priest who was very kind to me a few years ago, and the sister of the church gave it to me when he died." Another chip out.

Heero would have continued digging, but Kuronue didn't seem eager to talk about anything but the bright stars above them from that point on, engaging the pilot in renaming the shapes they found. When they spotted clouds on the horizon, Kuronue sighed and sat up, dislodging Heero from his place.

"Looks like our time's up," he said with a touch of sadness. "I'll drop you down on the wall. It's closer to your room than the courtyard."

The blanket was tucked in its safe place under the nest once again, and then they were airborne. The flight back to the courtyard was silent but comfortable, and it was with a little regret that Heero felt his feet touch down on cold stone.

"Thank you for showing me this," Heero said, casting one last glance at the sky before turning to his host. "It was-" He has turned just in time to see pale fingers gathering hair into three sections, ready to begin a familiar weave before the owner realized what he'd been about to do. Both males froze, staring at each other before Kuronue suddenly spread his wings and leapt into the air, gone before Heero could draw breath. Said pilot had finally chipped away through the surface, and suddenly found himself drowning.


	17. Duo

A/N: Okay, I know I said that I wouldn't be updating until December, but I hit a block on my NaNo novel this evening and since I had most of this chapter already written anyway, I figured that I might as well finish it. So here it is, and a bit longer than usual too.

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Seventeen

Duo

The only thing Heero knew about his next actions was that he was running. Hallways and stairs blurred past him almost as fast as the pounding of his heart. He couldn't think, couldn't breath, couldn't believe…

This entire time, it had been him. He'd been right there, reaching and touching, but at the same time unreachable and untouchable.

How could he have not noticed? The clues had been scattered everywhere. The speed that Quatre had trusted him, his coffee recipe, his brother's name, the fucking fox plushy he always slept with!

His frantic feet carried Heero into the garden, the site of a large pond barely registering in his mind in time to keep him from literally running into it. The pilot's strength at last failed him and Heero fell to his knees, staring blankly at the reflection of the moon on still water.

Duo was- Kuronue was- They were-

His mind still refused to acknowledge that the two who had broken through his shield were in fact only one.

A silver shape breaking through the surrounding foliage interrupted Heero from his hyperventilating. Nine tails moved independently of each other behind it, and the human man recognized the golden eyes watching him from the fox's silver face.

"Kurama, what am I supposed to do?" he asked, voice quavering as the kitsune padded silently to him, sitting only a foot away. "Duo-"

He broke off as Kurama's form grew, shifting into the seven-foot tall man he was more familiar with seeing.

"You realized," the thief said softly, glancing briefly at Heero before turning his gaze to look over the water. "He was frightened of this, you know. Tell me, what was the last piece?"

"He started to braid his hair," Heero whispered. Clawless fingers dug into the grass beneath his hands. Slowly, his mind began to catch up to his senses. "He was frightened? Why?"

"I suspect it was because now he knows that if he'd messed things up before, he won't get another chance," Kurama said. He slowly eased himself down onto the stomach, legs swinging idly, much like his tails. "By now, I'm sure you've realized that my brother loves you."

"The marriage proposal sort of tipped me off," the younger man said dryly. Clarity began to return to his mind, but the whole night still held a dream-like quality. "How long has he been gone from Makai?"

"Several hundred years."

Blue eyes shot wide. "What?"

"Three hundred and seven years ago, Youko Kuronue was killed during the heist," Kurama said, golden eyes closing to hide the pain inflicted by the memory. "I'm sure that you noticed his pendant. We were fleeing with our target, a mirror that had some special significance, I can't remember what, when the chain broke. He was stabbed through with several bamboo spears when he flew back to retrieve it. My brother died telling me to run. My younger brother."

Heero remained silent for a moment, waiting until the kitsune had reopened his eyes. "Then how… how is he alive again? How did he become Duo?"

The thief's smile returned. "As I said to Botan before you woke up after our arrival in Makai, self-resurrection seems to run in the family. I don't know the exact details of the how; it will probably be different with the species in addition to the fact that he did not move directly from one body to the next. Within the night of my first death, I was already rooted into the body of a human embryo, one that had yet to gain a soul of its own. My brother actually was escorted to the afterlife by a ferrier, again, Botan, and he spent nearly three hundred years there before returning to the Ningenkai. As you can see, the situations were very different. But I can guarantee you that he is the same person who shot you a few years ago."

Blue glared at laughing gold. "Who told you?"

"Koenma."

Damn. He couldn't kill him then.

"Now, the question I have for you is this," Kurama said, suddenly turning serious once again. "Do you love him?"

The pilot's whispered reply was so soft that the movement of the grass threatened to drown it out.

"Yes."

"Then tell him." Nodding in approval, Kurama stood before slipping back into the brush, leaving behind no more traces than moonlight in his wake. A few last words drifted back to Heero. "His rooms are in the west wing tower, as high as you can go on the stairs."

It was still some time before Heero rose from the grass, but, when he did, it was with one destination in mind.

The west wing tower was also the second highest. Although Heero was sure that J never thought his pilot would be climbing towers in the demon world, his training was certainly coming in handy going up the hundreds of steps lining the inside, the windows on each flight giving Heero a view point that was higher and higher. At long last, he reached a point where there were two options for a walker. One was the ladder leading to a trap door above his head. The other was a richly decorated door. Swallowing, he pushed it open.

Inside, the chimera was curled into a tight ball, arms wrapped tightly around a pillow. Pulling his tunic off and dumping in on the foot of the bed, Heero crawled up onto the mattress, lying down next to Kuronue. As though sensing the heat of another body, the demon let go of the pillow and rolled over to wrap his arms around Heero, holding him tightly and gently at once. Freeing an arm to grab hold of the shoved-off blanket, Heero dragged it over the two of them, closing his eyes for what promised to be one of his best nights for a long time.

Kuronue's internal clock woke him just before breakfast the next morning. The body in his arms felt wrong, far too small to be Kurama, but not small enough to be either the kitsune's human form or his mate. Sniffing cautiously, violet eyes shot up as he jerked back, waking Wing's pilot. "Heero? How'd you get in my be-"

A hand shot forward to cover his mouth as a pair of blue eyes locked onto his. The soft expression in them was shocking, but not as shocking as Heero's next words. "Dou, do you ever shut up?"

If possible, the chimera's eyes widened further as the human took his hand away, sitting up on the bed. "You know? Did someone tell you or-"

"I figured it out," Heero said, interrupting. "Kurama helped explain some things for me, that's all. Now I know what Quatre was keeping from us."

"It wasn't his fault, I asked him to keep it a secret," Kuronue said, defending the small blond. "Cat's really perceptive, and I hadn't gotten used to being the old me yet right when we got here. If you'd been awake, you'd probably have caught onto it right away. You're not mad?"

The Japanese man shook his head. "Do any of the others know?"

"Not yet, though you'll probably want to tell them now," the youkai said with a heavy sigh.

"No."

Kuronue's head shot up. "Huh? You don't?"

A strange smile grew onto Heero's face. "I still owe Wufei back for a couple of things, and Trowa will understand. For now, we'll wait, Kuronue."

Smiling, Kuronue took Heero's hands in his own. "Thank you, but please, call me Duo when we're in private. It's really who I am now. Besides, I like the sound of it when you say my name."

"Then it's settled, Duo," Heero said, surprising his companion with a kiss on his cheek. "Now, go back to sleep. We can eat breakfast later."

"Whatever you say," Kuronue said, touching his face where Heero's lips had, still in shock. _Did it mean that…? _A glance down at the body curled up next to him broke his concentration. He'd think about it later.

The others were just about to leave the dining hall when Kuronue and Heero entered together, the chimera's arm wrapped around Heero's waist. Wufei nearly choked at the sight while Quatre searched Heero's eyes, his worried expression turning into a grin when the former soldier smiled, nodding to the blonde's silent question. Kurama, on the other hand, looked incredibly smug, so smug that Hiei was tempted to drag him somewhere private in order to wipe the look from his face.

Breaking away from the human, Kuronue ran over to Kurama, seizing his hands and jumping up and down in joy, wings flapping happily. "He accepted, he accepted! Thank you so much! He accepted!"

"Accepted what?" Wufei asked once he was able to breath again.

Kuronue spun to face the Chinese man, his fanged grin particularly malicious. "My marriage proposal."

Those three simple words were enough to send him back into choking fits, and were even enough to shock Trowa into nearly falling out of his chair.

"Try not to kill them before the ceremony," Heero said with a chuckle as he wrapped an arm back around the chimera possessively.

Glancing between his younger brother and the coffee maker, Kurama wasn't sure whether or not it'd be safe to give Kuronue any coffee when he was already hyper enough.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Quatre said, recognizing the expression on the kitsune's face. "It isn't safe to get between him and coffee."

"But is it any safer to let him near it?" Kurama asked the blond quietly, trying not to catch Kuronue's attention.

"Now that I'm not sure of," he replied with a wry smile.

Their debate was ended quickly as the newly engaged pair beelined toward said machine, finishing off the pot between the two of them.

"So, who wears the dress?" Trowa asked, his one visible eyebrow raised.

"If Duo were here, I do believe he'd be yelling about how the world must be ending," Heero quipped, sending an amused glance toward his equally amused fiancé, who was biting back a laugh. "You made a joke."

"You know, Kuronue, it's too bad that neither of you are kitsune," Kurama commented, winking in Hiei's direction. "Our mating ceremonies have the most fascinating dress codes."

"Butt naked, bride, groom, and guests," Kuronue informed the humans, smirking.

"I wish you'd been there to see Kazuma's face," the thief king said with a laugh. "I think it was the only time he ever tried to avoid Yukina when he had a chance to see her. That and when she was in heat. So, I take it you'll be having two ceremonies."

"Of course," Kuronue said, nodding. "We will be going back some day, after all, and it'd be nice for people to recognize it as official."

"By people you mean humans," Trowa guessed.

"Yes," Heero replied. Both he and Kuronue took a seat at the counter, human leaning contentedly against the chimera.

"So, there's one more thing we need to figure out," Wufei said, his smirk almost malicious.

"And what would that be?" Kuronue asked, tilting his head to the side.

"What are we going to tell Relena?"


	18. Tunics and Names

A/N: I want it to snow, Dammit! Snow! Well, until it does and we all run out to make forts and snowmen and to stuff snow down people's necks, enjoy the latest chapter of the fic. Read and review!

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Eighteen

Tunics and Names

If Heero had been under the impression that planning a wedding, or as they called it locally, a mating ceremony, in Makai would be any simpler than the horror stories he'd heard from fellow agents in the ningenkai, he quickly realized his mistake. If anything, youkai ceremonies were more complicated than human. The fact that his fiance was a lord's brother who had apparently been dead for a couple of centuries old did not help any.

"We should let Quatre loose on it," Kuronue suggested casually once they'd been arguing with the tailor by messenger for over an hour on the exact shade of Heero's two necessary tunics. "He loves scheduling big events."

"He'd have television news copters hovering over the whole event," Heero said flatly. He blinked as a thought truck him. "Do they have helicopters here?"

"Never needed them." The chimera stared at the color swashes laid out on the table in front of them, crossing his eyes. "Okay, I'm saying these two. Let the old lady saw which is for when."

Nodding at Kuronue's decisions, Heero scowled. "Why don't we have to go through this for your tunics?"

Scribbling down a quick note for the tailor and stacking it on top of the chosen colors, the thief handed them to the waiting messenger before turning to his future mate with a grin. "Because I'm expected to wear the family colors, meaning that that's Kurama's job."

Blue eyes glared at him. "I hate you."

"Na, I know you love me," Kuronue said, ruffling a long fingered hand through messy brown hair. "Now that this nightmare is over, we can get packing."

"Packing?"

Kuronue nodded, standing up and stretching. "Yeah, the ceremony's going to be at Kurama's place, since he's my closest relation and all. Didn't someone tell you?" Heero's expression said that he had been told no such thing. "Well, a good portion of the court and the help will be coming with us, so we won't be traveling the same way as when we came here. Probably by carriage."

"Horse drawn?" Heero asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Demon horses," the chimera clarified. "They fly. Tro's going to love them."

"How did you stand the mundane world after growing up here?" the human man asked, nodding to one of the servants as she brought in a fresh tea.

"Heero, I grew up on L2; it's hardly mundane," Kuronue said with a snort, draining the last of his tea. "And then after that, I lived with you and the other pilots throughout the war. Believe me, this place is normal for me."

Shielding his head, Heero drank half of his tea before leaving the rest for the flowery plant that had been literally eyeing it since his first have been poured. Gathering up the papers in front of them, he followed his fiance out of the room. "Do we even have anything to pack?"

"Couple outfits Kurama had made for us, our weapons, the tape I took from the kitchen security cameras of when we told the guys the good news," the chimera listed off, his grin growing at the last item. "I should give a copy to Howie once we get back. And the Une lady. Maybe Sally too. Both of them could use a good laugh. Think I can catch when Wufei and Trowa find out who I am?"

"Thought that we should do that one outside," Heero said, trying to figure out just where Kuronue was leading him. They'd left the area of the castle that he recognized and had kept going.

"If Gondara's anything like what I remember, that won't be a problem," Kuronue said with a shrug. "That place does tech. You should like it there."

The pilot stopped walking, glancing around. "Where are we?"

The youkai glanced back at Heero in question. "Base of the east tower. Fastest route back to my room."

"This is the opposite corner of the castle. Your room's in the west tower."

When the other grinned, Heero couldn't help but to notice that Kuronue had fangs. "Hee-chan, these lovely appendages on my back aren't just for show, remember? We're almost to one of the doors out to the gardens. From there it's a quick hop, skip and jump up to my window. Knowing my brother, he's probably already had luggage sent up to the tower."

"We're fortunate that he never fought during the war," Heero said with a snort. "Even if he had been on the same side as us, it would have been unnerving to be around him."

"Just wait until you see us working together when we get back," the thief chuckled, pushing open the promised door. "We were scary 'back in the day.'"

Heero's expression was almost wistful as he took in the red, cloud covered sky outside. "If you start any stories with 'when I was your age,' I _will _tie your wings together and throw you off your tower."

"Not unless you like getting Quatre's sad looks every ten minutes for the rest of your life." Kuronue opened his arms to the man, holding Heero tight once he had stepped forward. With a glance toward their intended destination, he lifted from the ground, loving the feel of the perfect soldier finally in his embrace.

Regrettably in his opinion, the flight to his window was not a long one, and both soon found themselves busily folding and packing the clothes they had been given into a rather human looking suitcase with their names on it. A lone disk went in the center to protect it from being damaged in the travel.

"You know, I was thinking," Kuronue said, snapping it shut.

"Don't hurt yourself."

Violet eyes rolled. "Hardy, har, har, Heero. Anyway, I was wondering what we're going to do about names."

Heero glanced at him in confusion as the youkai dropped down onto the neatly made bed. The servants had obviously chosen to ignore the 'do not disturb' sign that he had cobbled up to hang on his door. "Names?"

"You know, our surnames." By now, Kuronue was fiddling with the tip of one wing and not looking up. "We don't _have _to do anything, my brother didn't after all, though both he and his mate were already too well known, but we're getting married in the ningenkai too, and I thought that we might do something traditional with the wedding."

"You want one of us to take on the other's name," Heero said, making the connection.

Kuronue flushed. "Stupid idea, right? Forget about it."

"It's a good idea."

The chimera blinked, slowly moving his eyes up to meet Heero's. "Really?"

"Yeah." Heero's smile was slow, but all the more precious. "Maxwell Heero has a pleasant ring to it. In the Makai, I can use Youko."

For perhaps the first time in human or youkai recorded history, Youko Kuronue was struck speechless. For a minute and a half. "You want to take my name? I would have thought-"

"Yuy was a name stolen from a dead man," Heero cut in, taking hold of Kuronue's hand. "You earned your names. It would be an honor to share them."

Suddenly grinning, Kuronue used their joined hands to pull Heero down on top of him, moving his other arm to hold the human there, simply enjoying each other's closeness. "You know, we're going to positively give Une a heart attack when we get home."

"Payback for the mobile doll attacks."

"Only you would hold a grudge for that long."


	19. Thieves and Leaves

A/N: You know, I love you peoples. You've stuck with me through odd ideas and sap. Don't worry, there's no 'but I'm leaving now' coming ahead in this message. Just wanted to voice my appreciation, especially when reviews have been dropping in some of my fics. It makes me sad, and then I come over here and feel all warm and fuzzy again. Anywho, I hope you like the new chapter, and you'll be happy to know that the upcoming wedding should not be too far off. Poor Heero. Enjoy the chapter and leave me yummy reviews!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Nineteen

Thieves and Leaves

"I don't think Quatre likes the horses," Kuronue said flatly as the blond clung frantically to his partner, staring at the bone and saggy fleshed creatures that were tethered to the small army of carriages. "Nope, he definitely doesn't like them."

"I don't understand why not," Yukina said, blinking. "They're extremely sweet."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "I think the glowing eyes and exposed skulls may have something to do with it."

Trowa, on the other hand, seemed fascinated as Quatre tried to pull him away from the beasts. "What do they eat?"

"Air sprites, mostly," Kurama explained, running a hand through the sparse mane on the nearest one. "Though occasionally they'll snap up a water imp, so we have to keep them away from the wells."

"Why?" Trowa asked, curious.

"They get too heavy to fly when they're laden down with the water's density," the kitsune said. "Eating sprites actually improve their buoyancy."

"We're ready to leave, my lord," one of the horse handlers announced once the last had been hitched or saddled. "Lord Hiei's already gone ahead."

"Impatient as always," Kurama muttered with a roll of the eyes. "Kuronue, sort out the humans to where they're riding. We'll want to keep them toward the center."

"Did it before breakfast," the chimera informed his brother even as Trowa, Quatre and Wufei followed Yukina to her personal carriage, which was also one of the most guarded. He and Heero went into Kurama's after the silver kitsune had settled himself.

Whatever enabled the horses to fly must have extended to whatever came in contact with them as well, as the carriages floated easily behind each pair. With the guards flanking them on either side enough to alert them in plenty of time should there be an attack on their caravan, Kurama and Kuronue nestled into the pillows for a nap, leaving the always alert Heero to his own devices.

In Yukina's carriage, Wufei was scowling out the slatted window while Trowa napped and Quatre carried on idle conversation with their hostess. There was definitely something about the way Heero had been behaving around Kuronue that was off, their whirlwind romance aside even. Heero didn't trust anyone that quickly, and only Duo had ever gotten away with the amount of contact and teasing that the chimera had been doing. On the other hand, Quatre also seemed to trust Kuronue, and the pilots had always trusted the empath's judgment on people.

"How long are we staying here?" he asked abruptly.

Yukina blinked in confusion. "We're already moving, Chang-san."

The Chinese man shook his head. "I mean Makai. How long until you send us home? We can't stay in this world forever."

"Probably after Heero and Kuronue's wedding, we can start preparations to return to the human world," Quatre said, understanding. "I'm sure one of them can open a portal for us then."

They made it to Gondara by nightfall, by which time all of the sleepers had woken up again in plenty of time to straighten rumpled hair and clothes.

"This place hasn't changed a bit," Kuronue said with a grin, looking around as he stretched, glad to be able to use his own legs again. He spied a grouping of trees that arose from the center of the city. "Except for that. That's definitely new."

"Do you really think I'd live anywhere completely devoid of plant life for very long, little brother?" Kurama asked with a smile, already beginning to walk in the direction of the castle. "You should have seen Yomi's face when he burst out of his rooms the night I did it. First night of my rule after his retirement."

Kuronue laughed. "Man, sorry I missed that. You don't happen to have any video of it squirreled away anyplace, do you?"

"He found them about fifty years ago. Burned them on my desk."

"Damn."

Heero narrowed his eyes at the number of youkai surrounding them, too many to even a city that size. "Just how many people did you tell about our wedding outside of your staff?"

"Just a few," the kitsune said, the very image of innocence. "Yusuke, Botan... Yomi."

"Meaning that it's been spread over the entirety of the Makai and Reikai by now," Kuronue concluded. "Brother dearest, what part of 'let's try to keep this low key for a bit' translates to 'tell the biggest two gossips in the universe and the guy who likes to make things 'interesting?'"

Kurama wasn't at all apologetic. "Consider this practice for your human wedding. No one will blink if you snap and go on a killing rampage here. With who the two of you are in the human world, you're bound to make world news."

Wufei pounced. "Who is Kuronue in the human world?"

"Sorry, but I promised to keep it a secret, and a Youko never breaks his word," Kurama said, shaking his head as they entered the castle through its massive gates. "Hiei, I'm home!"

The dark youkai flitted out from the shadows to stand in front of his mate, arms crossed. "Hn. About time."

"Aw, were you waiting for me?"

"Or your corpse."

Kuronue flush an arm around Quatre and Trowa's shoulders. "Aren't they just the sweetest couple? How come you never speak to me that way, Hee-chan?"

An eyebrow raised over blue eyes. "You want me to? You used to complain about it."

The chimera was about to voice his denial when a hand suddenly shoved him from behind. Kuronue let out a loud yelp as he fell, arms pin wheeling to stop himself from falling flat on his face. "What the hell was that-"

"That's for making me find out you were getting married from _Botan_." A young blond haired, gold eyed boy glared down at the fallen thief, hands on his hips. He was dressed in a black haori and hakama. But the most interesting fact was that he was sitting on a floating oar much like that of the named ferrier.

Kuronue dropped and rolled over, propping himself up on one elbow to stare up at the boy in disbelief. "Solo?"

"And how come you never told me you were a full youkai?" the newly named Solo continued on. "You said you 'might have _some _demon blood.' From the looks of it, you've got more than _some_."

"Someone you know, Kuronue?" Kurama asked idly in amusement.

"Old friend," the chimera admitted a little weekly.

Solo didn't appear to be finished with his rant. "Another thing! When you said my eyes reminded you of an 'old friend,' you could have mentioned that your 'old friend' was Youko-bloody-Kurama! Least now I know why you didn't tell us your real name."

"One thing," Kuronue said, interrupting. "How long have you been a ferrier?"

The blond blinked. "Six years. Why?"

"Then I've got a blue-haired ferry girl to murder for not telling me," he chirped happily, leaping to his feet to glomp onto Solo, effectively pulling his off of his oar. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the lovely folks."

"Ack! Kid, let me go!"


	20. Mate

A/N: Mwehehehehehe! Chapter twenty is here! And with the lovely new chapter comes the long awaited mating ceremony! Watch while I bounce in hyperactive joy. And for an extra treat, you get an extra long chapter. Oh, and check the end for an extra goody. Read and review!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Twenty

Mate

Kuronue was suddenly glad that Solo had never known his human name, and that the only pilot he'd told about the blond thief had been Heero. If it had been any other way, his secret would have just been blown wide open.

It had taken a while to calm the small ferrier down before the chimera could pull him aside, away from the two remaining ignorant agents.

"And you want to keep the fact that you're the guy they've known and trusted for years _why_?" Solo asked once the long explanation had been completed.

"A prank."

The blond grinned, patting the other's shoulder. "Good boy."

"So, since you aren't dead, well, not dead and gone anyway, want to be my second?" Kuronue offered. "Kurama's my first, and I don't want him and Yomi sitting next to each other, so he's my third. They guys will be Heero's three just as soon as someone gets around to explaining exactly what a chimera wedding includes. Koenma has taken the position of the lord, and Botan and Yukina are standing as maidens, even though Yukina's not one. Somehow I doubt any of the gods will care."

Going over his old friend's babblings a little more slowly, Solo grinned. "Sure. Can I be best man for your human wedding?"

"I think Quatre will want that role," Heero said, walking up to them once he'd managed to escape the others. "How about ring bearer? Mariemaia can be the flower girl."

"Rashid can give away the bride," Kuronue added, winking at his betrothed. "And Relena can be the maid of honor."

Heero snorted. "Once we pull her out of her faint. Who are we going to get to perform the service?"

"I was thinking Howard or the Une lady," the thief said, tapping his chin in though. "Course that'd mean we'd need to invite the entire Sweepers crew." The chimera paled even further than his usual fair. "Oh kami, that's a lot a people already. Maybe we should just elope."

"Or sick Quatre on the plans," Heero suggested. "Relena could help, if we can force a no-pink promise out of her."

"And Hiei's staff."

"They might notice their horns."

"Damn."

-

Kuronue and Heero were separated and confined with their three the day before the ceremony, a maiden wit each to explain the procedure of the wedding itself.

"You three and I will help you dress in the morning, after which you'll be carried to a room just outside the great hall," Yukina said from the other side of the curtain. Heero was bathing in a small pool in the corner of the chamber, hidden by a thick veil. "You will be carried in on a liter and then lifted onto the cushions by an appointed bearer. At no time from the moment you get out of that pool to the presentation may your feet touch the ground."

Heero examined an odd smelling bar of soap with suspicion. "Why?"

The demoness sighed. "Chimera wedding tradition. Try to remember that Kuronue is from a winged species. It's thought of as a bad omen."

"Are all youkai so superstitious?"

Yukina giggled. "It's not superstition when you know it's true."

"What about after the ceremony?" Heero asked, though he was suspicious that he already knew the answer to that one.

The koorime's giggle didn't sound nearly as innocent as before. "Ceremonies may change between different species, Heero, but _that_ part is almost always the same. And don't worry, the two of you will have a more secluded bed chamber here."

Turning a furious red, Heero dunked into the water. She may have looked sweet, but Yukina was _not_ innocent.

-

Kuronue was bouncing. He was _still_ bouncing. He had not stopped bouncing since they had been locked into the room. If Yomi had ever wanted his sight back for one day, it would have been just to see the look of irritated "why me" on Kurama's face that he had always seen accompanied by twitching tails, laid back ears and grinding teeth.

"I take it that you're happy to be getting married," Solo said dryly after sharing a glance with his blue-haired coworker.

"Are you kidding me?" the chimera asked in mock-disbelief. "I've been after this guy for years, and we're finally getting married!"

"So, will you be marking him?" Kurama asked, thankful that his brother was finally holding still.

Kuronue paused, thoughtful. "I'm not sure. I mean, I'd love to, but it's really up to Heero. You know what happens when youkai mark humans."

"The reason Urimeshi never marked his mate," Yomi said, nodding. "I have heard few things cause the amount of pain."

"Exactly," Kuronue said, drawing out the word. "And while I wouldn't mind shouldering the it myself, that'd mean doing it against his will, which is something I absolutely refuse to do."

"If the two of you do decide to do it, be prepared to carry him for a while, because I doubt he'll want to walk," Kurama said, smirking. "Lucky number seven."

"Kurama!"

-

The lighting of the lamps woke Heero early the next morning. Having been ordered not to touch the ground, he sat up on the bed to wait as the others in the chamber got up, all gravitating toward the breakfast cart that someone had brought in. Quatre brought Heero over a cup of coffee being mixing his own.

"Your tunic was delivered too," the blond said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "We can all start getting ready once we've eaten."

"I'm not hungry," Heero said, the thought of food making his stomach turn.

"Believe a married woman when she says that you'll wish you had if you don't," Yukina said as she walked over determinately to press a muffin into Heero's hand. "It'll at least tide you over until the feast."

He wasn't allowed to begin dressing until he'd eaten the entire thing and had drunk his coffee. Once his leggings were on, Quatre and Trowa double-teamed against him to pull the tunic over his head before Yukina swooped in with the belt. Wufei sat back and hid a snicker.

By the time they were finished, Heero felt like of Mariemaia's dress-up dolls. He been dressed, shoed, his hair had been brushed and a king's ransom of gold jewelry had been put on him.

"You look lovely," Yukina said, stepping back with a soft smile. There was a knock on the door. "Just in time. We're ready."

The door opened, and Heero's eyes flew wide. Each of the four youkai standing at the door was pale with dark hair. And they all had wings. _Chimera_.

They regarded each other for a before one of them stepped forward and silently bowed to Heero in greeting. He returned the favor and tried not to tense up when he was lifted from the bed and carried from the room, Yukina and his fellow humans in tow.

A chaired liter waited in the hallway outside the chamber, and Heero was set down on it before the four chimera lifted the entire thing up to shoulder height. Yukina taking the lead with the pilots in tow, they set off.

Kuronue wanted to pace. Really, he did. If it were up to him, he'd be pacing a worn path through the carpeted floor. Luckily for said carpet, Kurama had a firm hand attached to his elbow keeping him in place.

"You'll be fine," the kitsune whispered.

The door at the far end of the hall burst open as drums began to play. Catching sight of Heero, Kuronue's mouth ran dry. _Beautiful_… Numb, he barely remembered when he was supposed to step forward to take the human's hand as he was lifted down onto the cushion opposite the alter table from him. Koenma solemnly poured a single glass of sake before offering it to Kuronue and Heero, each of them taking a sip while neither took their eyes off of the other.

The chimera was thankful for his youkai hearing, which told him that Heero's heart was pounding as furiously as he knew his would be if he were human.

A rice cake was next in being shared between them, followed by a second dose of the wine.

"I, Youko Kuronue, claim you, Yuy Heero, as my mate and take you into my clan," Kuronue said formally. "I give you our name."

"I, Yuy Heero, accept your claim, Youko Kuronue, and stake my own," Heero said. "I take your name willingly."

"Let nothing dare come between these two mates, Youko Kuronue and Youko Heero, for fear of the wrath of the kami and their own," Koenma concluded, bowing from his seated position. "By the tear path, they are as one, so let it be."

Heero was swept up from his cushion into a passionate kiss as the crowds cheered. In that first movement, Kuronue had placed a supporting arm under his mate's rear while the other hand was tangled in short brown hair, holding the pilot's head down as his mouth was thoroughly plundered.

When they came up for air, both were grinning. Kuronue was the first to look away, glancing about the hall. "Well, shall we eat?" Heero _thwapped_ him upside the head, which the chimera took as a yes, before tanned arms wrapped around his neck for balance.

The feast was interesting, to say the least. The pilots were very careful to touch only meats they knew, Yomi's earlier comment on the chefs of Gondara far from forgotten. Quatre spent a couple minutes poking at a… giggling piece of fruit until an all-too amused Kurama showed him how to open it.

Although he had a suspicion that he knew just what sort of fare graced the youkai's plate, Wufei found a decent dinner conversationalist in Yomi, whose sharp wit reminded him a little of Dr. O. Trowa was practically kidnapped by Jin and Chuu, two youkai who had come with Yusuke, to meet an ice elemental by the name of Touya. How he could see without pupils remained a mystery to the green-eyed pilot.

The newlyweds spent most of their time seated at the head of the hall, where youkai came to talk to Kuronue or decide their opinion about Heero. More than half of them seemed to have known the thief from his and Kurama's old gang, including a few that Kuronue had practically raised.

"I know I recognize those teeth," he said, grinning as one female youkai approached. "Kuri-chan, you've changed."

The badger demoness laughed, showing off sharp teeth. "And so have you, Kuro-kun. We never thought you would settle down. Does this mean I have to pay back my bet winnings to Tai?"

"Na, dieing kinda brings the end to most bets, no matter if I did come back to life," the chimera said, shaking his head. "Heero, meet Youko Kuriko, my… great niece by adoption. One of the sibs brought her father home from a raid and he mated with the daughter of this minor lord we robbed, real ass, and then we got her. One of the many evil little brats who thought I was a chew toy. Kuriko, this is Heero, my mate and one of the strangest humans you'll ever meet. Sets his own bones. It's creepy."

"At least I don't insist that my gundam has feelings," Hero said, smirking.

Kuronue glowered in false anger. "Ooh, you're so going to get it tonight, Hee-chan."

Kuriko hid a laugh. "Excuse me for intruding, but isn't that the idea?" She grinned at the chimera as he growled. "Let me guess, 'die screaming.'" At his grudging nod, Kuriko dipped into a mocking bow and left, tossing Heero a wink over her shoulder.

Youkai began to trickle out of the hall a few hours later and once there were only a dozen left, Kuronue figured they could leave the hall. He gathered Heero into his arms and the entire wedding party followed them from the hall.

Kurama stopped them in a sort of sitting room that had a spiral staircase on one side and several doors on the other. "A room has been prepared for you right at the top of the stairs, and there's a bath just down the hall from there for your use alone." Walking around a small potted tree and up to them, he pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads. "Be happy."

With a smile and a nod, Kuronue carried Heero up the stairs and out of sight.

"And don't do anything we wouldn't!" the kitsune called after them.

The reply was more laughter than words. "That doesn't limit us much!"

---------

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A/N: As according to the site rules, I cannot post a lemon here. However, I will be posting a link to where I have this fic also posted on adultfanfiction and mediaminer for your reading pleasure. For those of you who don't wish to read it, there will be a 'safe' version with any plot points you need to know. Love you lots!


	21. Pillows and Chocolate Sauce

A/N: Okies, lovely readers, the deal with this chapter is that it's a 'safe' version of the lemon scene I posted on the other sites, cut, pasted, and cropped to fit with our local regulations. Of course, I would suggest just reading the scene in full (links are in my profile), but for those of you who are underage or simply don't wish to read _all _of the lovely details but don't want to be confused plot wise, this is for you. For those who did read the other version, don't bother with this one. With the exception of a few scene transitions (since large portions had to be simply cut out), there's nothing new. However, if you wish to _review_ the lovely lemony chapter, there's a pretty little button at the bottom of the page. Love you lots!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Twenty-One

Pillows and Chocolate Sauce

The room at the top of the stairs was large with two robes draped over the four-poster bed. Without any windows, torches provided all of the light in the place.

"Now this is what I call a honeymoon suite," Kuronue joked, playfully dropping Heero onto the bed before flopping down next to him. "So, I think we're expected to boink like rabbits now."

Laughing, Heero rolled over to grab a pillow, hitting his new husband over the head with it. Kuronue's eyes glinted dangerously as he reached past the human pilot to grab another. Within seconds, two children had replaced the two highly trained former terrorists as they pummeled each other, jumping on the bed like five year-olds. It wasn't long before their legs tangled, sending both tumbling down onto the blankets, Heero landing on top of Kuronue with his hands braced on either side of the youkai's head.

Staring into violet eyes, Heero froze. Reality was finally coming clear. Duo was his now. Slowly, he reached for the ties keeping the other's shirt closed.

"Heero, are you sure you want to do his?" Kuronue asked, stopping Heero's hand before he could use it to start undressing him. He wanted it more than anything, but not if there was the slightest risk of Heero regretting it later on. "I am a youkai, a demon, after all."

Heero's determined eyes met his questioning gaze. "I don't care, just as long as you're my youkai, my demon. I know what I'm doing, Duo." The Japanese pilot used his free hand to open Kuronue's and plant a kiss on the palm before returning to the fastenings on the chimera's shirt. Kuronue briefly raised his arms to help Heero remove the garment, grabbing hold of Heero's own tunic. The sound of it hitting the far wall moments later was music to his pointed ears.

Kuronue didn't wait for any more clothes to be removed before he flipped and tackled his smaller lover, latching onto the soft lips before him in a demanding kiss. Heero opened his lips in a silent gasp, giving Kuronue's tongue full access to his mouth, before responding to the kiss with vigor as his hands quested for the tie in the raven locks. Freed, it fell around them both in a cool waterfall.

Downstairs, Quatre was turning a rather unhealthy shade of red as he felt the emotions rolling off his friends in waves. The tree next to the stairs had started to grow moments after Heero and Kuronue had vanished up the stairs, and grew larger and more flowery with each passing moment.

When Kurama entered the room, his eyes flew directly to the growing plant. An amused glint entered his eyes. "Somehow I have a feeling it's a good thing that the room I gave Kuronue is soundproof."

"What is this plant?" Quatre asked, hoping for a distraction. "I've never seen it before."

"Not surprising. I breed it myself from several Makai plants," Kurama said. 'They feed off of the energy produced during intercourse and, dried, the flowers make a powerful healing salve for sore muscles."

If possible, the blonde's blush deepened. "You mean it-"

"Exactly," the kitsune finished with a smirk. "The more energy produced, the stronger the salve. Well, Hiei should be missing me by now, so I'll be off to bed. Sleep well."

Casting a forlorn glance toward the tree, Quatre _tried _to focus on his book. And tried. And tried some more. Then he went to find Trowa.

Lying next to him unknown hours later, Kuronue wrapped his arms around Heero, drawing him close and covering his face with gentle kisses. "However I resisted simply jumping you for all these years, I'll never figure out. I love you, Heero."

The human boy rewarded his lover with a rare and peaceful smile, lids slowly closing over blue eyes. In no time at all, Heero's heavy breathing evened out. He was asleep.

Kuronue smiled down at his slumbering lover, basking in the warm afterglow for a few moments before slipping silently from the bed. He pulled on a robe Kurama had set out for him before returning to the side of the bed and placing an oddly chaste kiss on Heero's brow. With another smile, he left the room, locking the door behind him.

The early morning sun shown through the castle windows as he passed them, intent on seeking out the kitchens. Heero would be hungry when he woke up, not to mention that the chimera still had plans for the sleeping pilot. Kuronue's peaceful smile split into a wide and mischievous grin as he spotted a certain European man sitting at one of the many tables in the kitchen.

"Morning," he sang out, both to Trowa and the demon cook who watched him closely. Breakfast wasn't ready yet and no one would be snitching. Not even her king was allowed. "Mind if I take some fruit with me up to my room? Heero and I'll be missing breakfast… and possibly lunch."

The cook smiled, understanding, as Trowa's eyes widened, making the connection as well. "Go right ahead. Oh, and may I suggest the chocolate syrup? It seems to be a favorite of Kurama-sama and Hiei-sama's."

"So it was your fault," Trowa said, nursing a large mug of coffee.

Kuronue's innocent expression fooled no one. "What was my fault?"

Trowa fixed him with a stare. "You know that Quatre's an empath."

The cook nodded as Kuronue sent her a wide-eyed glance and the chimera burst out laughing. "He jumped you? Quatre, sweet and innocent Quatre, actually jumped you?"

Trowa didn't answer, but the blush staining his cheeks was enough of an answer for Kuronue. His laughter was only interrupted when the cook pressed several items into his hands, which included a bowl of fruit and jar of chocolate syrup.

"I have a feeling that my silver lord will have his work cut out for him when those two are finished," she said, watching the chimera leave with an added spring to his step. "Especially since his room wasn't exactly silent last night either."

Heero was still asleep when Kuronue reentered the bedroom, only halfway covered by blankets. The torchlight only served to set off the human's already golden skin from hours in the sun, making him seem to glow. The chimera glanced between the items in his arms and his lover on the bed, a mischievous and slightly lecherous smile growing on his face.

Setting the fruit down on the bedside table and shrugging off the robe, Kuronue took the chocolate in hand and crawled across the bed to where Heero lay, slowly pulling the blanket the rest of the way off. Otherwise, it'd have been in his way. Encouraged by the fact that the pilot hadn't been awaken by the motion, he dipped one hand into the jar and began to smear chocolate over Heero's bare chest, holding his tongue between his teeth in concentration. The human man moaned quietly in his sleep, making Kuronue freeze briefly before it was clear that Heero wasn't waking up. Breathing a sigh in relief, he wasn't finished yet, Kuronue continued down the pilot's body, taking great care to cover every inch of Heero's skin. When he was finished, Heero was utterly covered in chocolate from the neck down, looking like the tastiest desert Kuronue had ever laid his eyes (and hands) upon. In a flash of wickedness, he dug four silk scarves from the closet, typing his human's arms and legs to the bedposts, checking the bonds carefully to make sure the weren't too tight, but so that Heero wouldn't be able to get out of them without help either. Satisfied, he sat back on his heels to decide just where to start.

As though summoned by Kuronue's thoughts, Heero craned his head back, exposing his throat to the demon besides him. The offer was too temping of one for Kuronue to resist as he crawled on all fours to hover over the sleeping body beneath him. Shifting down, he hungrily started to clean off the messy chocolate in strong, suckling licks.

Heero's eyes snapped open as the chimera's lips closed in around his juggler, a wet tongue teasingly moving over his skin. He gasped in pleasure, trying to arch into the treatment when he noticed the restraints. "Duo?"

The demon didn't answer right away, moving his attentions up to trace his tongue around the inside of Heero's ear, the skin a pleasant mix of salt and sweet. "Hm?"

"Why am I- ah!" Heero tried to keep his mind focused despite what his lover was doing to him. "Why am I tied up?"

Kuronue cupped his face in both hands before chocolate covered lips descended up on his own and Heero found himself unable to ask any more questions as his mouth was fairly ravaged, his loud moans being swallowed by the winged being above him. Pulling back slightly so that their lips barely brushed each other, Kuronue smiled. "I felt like it. Hope you don't mind."

If Heero did mind, he lost his chance to protest when his lover slid down his body, Kuronue's tongue making hot tracks across his chest and cleaning every inch of skin he encountered, the occasional touches of fang drawing yelps from the chimera's 'dessert.'

"Now I know what you are," Heero growled when the demon's attentions returned to his throat. "You're a fucking vampire."

"Can I help it that you taste so good, Hee-chan?" Kuronue asked with exaggerated innocence.

"Should I worry about the stories of youkai eating people?" Heero asked.

"Not from me," the chimera said, shifting his head down to clean a track across Heero's stomach. "Not like that, anyway. I prefer my human flesh to be alive."

A couple more hours past in that fashion, the pair quite happily ignoring the clock.

"Duo," Heero whispered in the hair's width between their lips as they came up for a moment's breath. "I want you to mark me."

The chimera jerked back, purple eyes wide in surprise. "What? Who told you-"

"I want you to mark me," he repeated, grabbing Kuronue's forelocks to pull him back. "Your brother explained it to me, so I know what I'm doing, Duo. Simple marriage won't be enough, not when I'll only live for so long. I want to be your _mate_, in the truest sense of the word. Please."

Releasing his hair from the human's hands, Kuronue smiled, tilting Heero's chin up for a gentle kiss. "You have no idea how long I've been dreaming of you saying those words, beloved." The chimera rolled them over, so that he hovered over Heero, who was lying on the bed beneath him, still breathing heavily. "I'll warn you though. Whatever gods designed the mating processes for demons did not want them mating with humans. Since you're willing, this _will _be painful, no matter what I do to try to null the pain for you. If you'd been unwilling and I'd mated with you, it'd be painful for me. There's nothing we can do about that."

"I know, and I don't care," Heero said, staring up into violet eyes. "Neither of us are new to pain, Duo. What do we have to do?"

"How about we just do it and I explain later?" Kuronue suggested, lowering himself to lie directly on Heero, heated bodies pressing against each other. It was then that the demon cursed, drawing back again.

"What is it?" Heero asked, growing frustrated with the new stall.

"We'll need Hiei to create a mental barrier around the room first," the chimera explained, getting off the bed and retrieving the robe from where he'd left it. "Quatre's an empath, remember? According to Trowa, just being in the same castle as us, not to mention my dear brother and in-law, was enough of an aphrodisiac to make him actually jump bang-boy. While that's all in good fun, I don't want for him to have to feel what's going to happen next."

Heero pinked slightly, though it was hard to see against the flush already present on his face. "Quatre felt…"

"Just the gist of it, not the exact physical sensations," Kuronue assured him, flashing a grin that showed quite a bit of fang. Combing his hair into some semblance of order with his claws, he leaned forward and gave his future mate a quick kiss, pulling away before things carried further. He did need to go see Hiei that morning, er, afternoon, after all. "I'll be back soon, beloved, and I'm locking the door behind me. Wouldn't want some random youkai wandering in and catching you when you're unable to walk."

"Hey, where's Hiei?" the thief asked, grabbing hold of the first person he came across in the hallway.

Catching the scent that floated heavily around Kuronue, the young demoness flushed dark blue all the way to the tips of her finned ears. "He's probably in the kitchens. A fresh load of ice cream was delivered this morning."

Yelling back a thanks, the chimera ran back down to the kitchens, reminding himself to thank the cook when he saw her.

"Hiei, I need a favor," he said immediately upon entering the vast room. True to the girl's words, the diminutive fire demon was seated at the counter with a large bowl of ice cream before him, already halfway eaten. "As one lover of sharp, pointy objects to another."

"What is it?" Hiei asked without looking up from his bowl.

Sitting on the other side of the counter across from his brother in-law, Kuronue rested his chin on folded arms, his best puppy eyes shining full on against him. "I need you to set up a barrier around my room."

Smirking, Hiei met Kuronue's eyes. "So he agreed then."

"Agreed?" Kuronue asked, running a hand through his hair. "He asked! Demanded more like it."

"I'll do it," the hi-koorime said with a sharp nod. "Now scram."

Saluting Hiei, Kuronue sped back up to his room, feeling the barrier snap up behind him as he crossed the threshold. "Mission accomplished, Hee-chan. Now, where'd we leave off?"

"I was about to give my soul over to a demon, I believe," Heero said with a smirk, shoving the blankets that he'd pulled over himself while waiting back off. "And a particularly sadistic one at that."

"Ah yes, the human sacrifice," Kuronue smirked, untying the robe belt and allowing the silk to slide slowly from his shoulders to pool on the ground near his feet. "Now, we've completed five of the things that need to be done in what appears to be the way we've chosen, and there's just two to go, along with the marking itself."

"Magic number seven, Duo?" Heero asked, lying stomach up on the bed as Kuronue resumed his earlier position, grinding their hips together.

"Why do you think humans connected it to the supernatural?" Kuronue asked, brushing a thumb over Heero's lips.

For a while there were no words as they prepared each other for the final bonding.

"No turning back," Kuronue whispered. "And no stopping until it's over."

"No turning back," Heero agreed. The human braced himself.

No mercy was shown to either side of the couple and it wasn't long before Heero climaxed, causing Kuronue to tighten his grip on Heero, holding the human to him so closely that it became difficult to tell where one ended and one began.

"Submit," the chimera growled. Heero met his eyes, shining in lust and nearly savage desire.

"I submit," Heero whispered, voice hoarse.

"Then brace yourself, beloved," Kuronue whispered, voice gentle again and almost pitying. As the demon took him and fangs sank into the skin at the base of his neck, Heero's world dissolved into pain and pleasure, each trying to override the other as the Japanese man's voice rose in a long, continuous scream. The two released simultaneously, the force of the climax tearing both of their breath's away as they clung to each other for dear life, tears running down both of their faces, Kuronue's soaking into the wound on Heero's neck.

As the wave passed, they continued to hold each other, shaking. Slowly and carefully as not to tear the already damaged skin, Kuronue released his bite, moving up to kiss his mate and show him a taste of his own blood, blood that now contained both tears of a chimera. When he started to roll off of the human boy, Heero stopped him.

"Not yet, just stay there for now," Heero murmured, exhaustion taking over his body. "I want to feel you when I wake up, so I can know that it wasn't just a dream."

"I think your aching muscles will be able to tell you that," Kuronue countered, but did as told anyway. He wasn't quite ready to separate from Heero either. Heero, his mate for all of time. His. "Mine."

Wrapped in each other's arms and around each other's souls, the two mates fell into a blissful slumber.

"The mating was successful," Hiei said, opening his normal eyes as he closed the jagan. It's warding of the room was no longer needed. The fire demon turned to address one of his higher-ranking staff members. "In eight hours, mark off the hallways between their room and the nearest baths. Have one ready and then stay away from that area."

"Yes, Hiei-sama," the demon said with a deep bow, stepping back and blending with the shadows.

"It would seem that I have another younger sibling," Kurama said, smiling softly. He was proud of his little brother, and glad that he'd managed to find a mate as perfect for Kuronue as Hiei was for him. "As do you."

"One was enough to worry about," Hiei grumbled lightheartedly. "At least that baka isn't around to molest Yukina anymore."

(Somewhere in the Reikai, a ghost sneezed. He cast a suspicious glance down toward the living world. It just had to be the shrimp.)

"Don't be so cruel," the kitsune chided gently, teasing his mate's ear. "Come back to bed."

Smirking, Hiei did as ordered. Even he was no match for the seductions of the legendary silver fox.

Waking slowly, Kuronue sighed, starting to stretch before the smaller figure sleeping under reminded him of just what position he'd fallen asleep in. Grinning possessively, the chimera leaned down to kiss the still dosing human that now belonged to him, and him alone. The movement caused made Heero moan in his sleep, body slowly responding. With a laugh, Kuronue started to work his arm free from its entrapment beneath the former soldier. It was then that he noticed a note taped to his hand.

_Dear Kuronue,_

_Congratulations on your mating. Hiei and I wish you both happiness. In the meantime, we've had a bath drawn up for the two of you, and the hallways between here and there marked off, so there's no need to get dressed. I've left another present in there for you. Well, it's actually more for Heero, but I believe that you will enjoy it as well._

_Your brother,_

_Yoko Kurama, king of thieves_

"That sneaky bastard," Kuronue muttered, a smirk forming on his lips. He's make up his mind on whether to thank or murder the fox later. "No need to get dressed, eh? Then I guess no need to wake Heero either."

Gently rolling off of the pilot, he slid an arm under both knees and arms before lifting him bridal style into his arms. As promised, the hallway was empty, and it was a short walk to the bath chamber.

The large bathtub set in the floor felt wonderful as he sunk into it, careful to keep Heero's head above water. Asleep, the pilot was nearly more tempting than when awake, especially when a pale hand brushing over his chest drew a moan from the human. Despite the extensiveness of their prior… activities, Kuronue was ready to go again.

As Kuronue held dead still in attempt to calm his body down, Heero started to stir awake, blue eyes blinking sleepily open. "Duo?"

"Here always, beloved," Kuronue murmured, resting his chin on Heero's damp shoulder, the opposite one from where his bite had stopped bleeding while they'd slept. So much for calming down. "Until the end of time."

"It's true then," Heero whispered, relief and overwhelming joy in those three words. Content to lay on his breathing bed, he glanced around the room, confused. "How did we get there?"

"I carried you, Hee-chan, and believe me, it wasn't easy to resist simply taking advantage of you while you were out. Armageddon wouldn't have awoken you," the chimera said with a gentle laugh, his breath tickling Heero's ear. "Even after everything it went through last night, at least I think it was last night, your body was still responding to mine. I can't begin to image how sore you are now though."

"There's more than one reason I'm avoiding moving, Duo," Heero said with a small groan. He'd noticed Kuronue's aroused state as well. "Gods, is there no end to your libido?"

"Not when I just carried you naked, with my scent all over you, down a hallway," Kuronue said, smiling as he started to nibble on Heero's ear, which was rapidly changing colors as the human blushed. "Besides, if I'm correct with what's in that bottle over there, you'll be glad to have me hard and slamming into you. It works better with _friction_." He rotated his hips beneath his mate as if to stress the word, making Heero gasp out.

The demon barely managed to reach the bottle with the tips of his fingers, pulling it over to an easier to reach spot.

"What is it?" Heero asked, glancing at it from behind partially lowered lids.

"A salve to relax sore muscles," Kuronue purred, running his tongue around the inside of Heero's ear and making the human shiver. "It works the best when applied internally, directly where the stress comes from." He paused in thought. "It also makes a good aphrodisiac, now that I think about it."

"I'd like- ah! -to be able to walk again the near future, Duo," Heero tried to growl, but his gasps of pleasure as Kuronue's hands explored his body further.

"I do believe that that's one of the reasons I'm doing this, love," Kuronue replied. "Now, as much as I hate to do it, I'm going to have to move you for a moment to apply the salve. But don't worry, you can sit right back after."

Heero groaned as he was lifted off of his mate and gently set down over the edge of the tub, the human's muscles too limp to move his limbs on their own. An arm across his back kept him from slipping too far in the water and he was thankful for the aid for once.

Kuronue uncorked the bottle one handed and the bathroom was filled with the scent of the tree that Kurama had jokingly named 'Morning After.' Pouring some onto his fingers, he began to slowly massage circles over Heero's lower back, going further down the mortal's body with each pass until his fingers were circling the space he'd paid so much attention to the night (day?) before.

Heero was on fire. Just what was in that salve? Heated lips pressed against the base of his spine before Kuronue's arm moved from across his back to around his stomach, lifting the boy back onto his lap and allowed Heero to lean his head against his chest.

The human pilot allowed him to do most of the work, still too worn out from before to move much, as they continued where they'd left off the night before. Despite his worries, Heero could feel the salve taking effect, slowly numbing the pain in his muscles. When it wore off, he hoped that Kuronue was in close enough proximity for him to throw things at.

As Heero went limp against him, Kuronue held his mate close. "Come on, let's get you cleaned before the presentation."

"Presentation?" Heero asked, nearly cross-eyed with exhaustion. He'd heard it mentioned, but it hadn't been explained to him.

"Hold your breath," Kuronue instructed before quickly dunking his mate to get his hair wet. "Yes, presentation. I have to present you as my mate. Don't worry; you can take a short nap. I won't let you drown."

Nodding, Heero's eyes slid shut as his breathing evened out. Smiling, Kuronue continued in his task, barely believing what had happened. Heero was his. _Eat your heart out, Relena_.


	22. Presentation

A/N: There have got to be laws against having the amount of fun that I am. Messing with characters' heads is simply too hilarious. Alright, enough yammering from me. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Twenty-two

Presentation

Heero was already dry by the time he came around to consciousness, and Kuronue entered his field of vision as he slowly, very slowly, pulled himself into a sitting position against the pillows. There were new sheets on the bed, and a fresh tunic was draped over the foot.

On the other side of the room, Kuronue was already dressed and brushing out his hair in front of a mirror. His tunic matched the one clearly meant for Heero, both depicting white cranes in flight. His mate tied up his hair into a ponytail before turning to Heero, a beaming smile shining from his face.

"Good morning, love," he said, standing up and walking to the side of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Heero smiled, reaching up to touch the chimera's cheek. "Like I was run over by an oddly erotic truck."

Kuronue tsked at the pilot. "Heero, we can't have you taking all of my lines, or I'll have to start saying 'hn' all the time when we go back to the human world. As much as we like to shock Wufei, we don't want to give him a fatal heart attack. Come on, I know you don't really want to move right now, but we've got to go down to breakfast. Then there's the presentation ceremony, which should be really short. It basically consists of 'hands off, he's mine now,' but in a couple more words than that. Kurama's got to make a show of accepting you into the family and we probably should have Koenma bless the union since you're human and all."

"Didn't he already do that?" Heero asked.

"The ceremony, not the blood mating," the chimera said, shaking his head. "And don't worry, he will. He knows who and what I am already. It's all in my file. Probably went over it after Botan let him know I was around and kicking once again."

Kuronue helped Heero to dress, the presentation tunic baring Heero's bitten shoulder and the attached arm by design. The only jewelry Heero wore was set of fine looping chains that connected to the front and back of a golden choker and matching armband on his bicep. From the center of each, another split off in a ladder pattern to connect to a ring worn on his middle finger. All together, they showcased the bite mark Kuronue had left there, which was probably the intention.

Heero tried not to wince when he was lifted into his mate's arms. The salve was already wearing off. How long had he slept?

In his earlier distraction, he hadn't noticed the heavy draperies that hid the door to an outside balcony, which was where Kuronue carried him. To his relief, the courtyard below was relatively empty. The presentation was clearly not there.

"Beautiful, ne?" Kuronue asked, gazing over the palace walls and into the city. "Saw this place for the first time when I was only seven, not too long before I met Kurama. You remember what I told you about my parents, right?" Heero nodded, not speaking in case it made Duo stop his story. "Well, he was a charm carver, made beads, talismans, all that stuff. He also carved jewels sometimes, when he could get hold of them." The chimera's glance wandered down to the red pendant hanging from around his neck. "On the back of the jewel, there's a sketch engraving of our crest. They're common enough around here that almost every family has them. He was killed before he could finish it. It was still in my pocket when I ran into Kurama. He had it mounted for me with the carving hidden. It was almost as though he was saying that we could hold onto our pasts while showing a fresh face to the future."

"That's what we're doing now, isn't it," Heero said with a small smile, removing one of his arms from around Kuronue's neck to lift the necklace against his hand. With the metal backing, it was impossible to see the sketch. "The war is behind us with its deaths, and our lives are ahead of us."

The chimera chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Listen to us. We're so sappy. Alright, let's get this presentation over with."

He lifted them into the air, flying high above the castle. From that vantage point, he could see the front courtyard packed with youkai, and Kurama and Koenma waiting for them on a broad balcony.

"Was wondering when you'd make it," the kitsune commented when they landed amidst cheers and whistles.

"We had a long and fluffy chat," Kuronue quipped back, grinning. "So, did you hear about Trowa and the kitten?"

"Hmhm," Kurama said, smirking. "Lent them a bottle of the salve. I was able to make more than enough to spread around. They're down there with Yukina and Hiei."

The presentation went smoothly, though some of the catcalls from the courtyard made Heero turn interesting colors. The changing of names was announced, accompanied by Kurama's ceremonial agreement to it. Thankfully, it was as short as promised, meaning that Heero could be allowed to walk on his own by lunch, which they ate very casually down in the kitchens.

"So, have you and Kuronue made plans for what you're going to do now?" Quatre asked, sharing a large cushion with Heero while they watched their various lovers mix up their army's worth of coffee.

Heero blinked. "Not really. I figured we'd live in the Ningenkai most of the time, maybe come here for vacations. We both have lives there, after all."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kuronue said, sliding onto the bench across the table from them and giving Heero his coffee. "Kurama mentioned that he and Hiei will probably go back to their 'vacation' with the Preventors, so we'll have plenty more time to catch up before they wander back here for the long haul."

"I think I'd like to do you-know-what before we go," Heero said, pointedly sending a glance toward the two other pilots. "Maybe in the next couple days?"

"How's tomorrow sound?" the thief suggested, grinning. "We can do it first thing before they get a chance to have their coffee."

Quatre shook his head in amusement as the two plotted against his lover and comrade. Really, he should warn them, but it sounding far too funny to miss seeing. He also took a mental note to get to breakfast early and have his own coffee _before_ the others got there.


	23. No Coffee for Wuffers

A/N: Ack! I really shouldn't be up this late on a school night. Okies, new chapter, and the long-awaited revealing. Hope you like it. Anywho, I don't own anything I didn't make, so nyaa. Enjoy the chapter!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Twenty-Three

No Coffee For Wuffers

For the first time since the war, when he'd sometimes been forced to share a bed with his partner due to lack of space in a safehouse, Heero woke to find himself entangled in long, chestnut hair. Rolling over carefully as not to pull any of it, he smiled at the sight of his mate sleeping, dark lashes closed over violet eyes. He wasn't sure when Kuronue had returned to his human form as Duo, having fallen asleep next to the winged chimera, but he couldn't deny the fact that he had missed the other pilot's human face, even more beautiful in its familiarity.

Duo's eyes opened, still fuzzy with content sleep. "Good morning."

"Morning," Heero returned, wrapping an arm around the slender waist.

The chimera leaned into the embrace, for once pleased with the fact that his human form was just slightly shorter than Heero. It felt good to be held sometimes. "We've got to get up soon. Beating Wu and Trowa to the kitchen this morning, remember?"

"And if we run into them in the hallway?" Heero asked, sitting up and stretching with a sigh of relief. The soreness was gone.

"With the way Wufei was tossing down drinks with Yusuke's kid last night, he won't be moving for a while," Duo said with a grin, propping himself up onto his elbows. "And I think I saw Kurama slip something to Quatre before we separated out for bed."

"What sort of family did I just marry into anyway?" the human asked with a laugh, pushing his mate off of the bed.

Duo smirked, sprawled out on the floor with one leg still hooked over the edge of the bed. "A supernatural and absolutely loony one."

They joked around while dressing, both relishing how comfortable it was to be completely relaxed around each other, without hidden feelings or hidden pasts between them. Leaving the suite, Duo bounced next to him as they made their way down the hall, glomping onto the pilot every few feet before jumping ahead to slide down the rail on the staircase with a cheer.

...Which turned into a yelp as he ran into Quatre, who had been standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Duo!" the blond gasped, trying to keep his balance as his arms were suddenly filled with the hyperactive youkai.

"Morning, Cat," Duo chirped. "Thanks for the catch. The other's still snoozing?"

Quatre sighed, nodding his head to the question as he turned his eyes higher up on the stairs, where Heero was making his way down in a more civilized manner. "Good morning, Heero. How are you feeling?"

"Well," Heero said with a small smile, watching as his mate gave their comrade one final hug before dropping to the floor and moving to give him some breathing space. Some things would never change. "I hope your brother's up."

Duo snorted. "Do you think he'd miss this? 'Course he's up. Probably's hiding the coffee maker as we speak. I just hope he thought to make us some first. Hey, do you know where Solo's burrowed himself into?"

"Despite Koenma's protests, he roomed with Wufei last night," the millionaire said, covering a smile. "Insists that he's going to follow us until your human wedding at the very least. So, where exactly do you know him from?"

"L2," the thief said, purple eyes flicking quickly toward Wufei's door. "Like I told Heero, the colony's always had close ties to Makai, and it's pretty well accepted around there that most of the local population has at least some youkai blood, and that it shows up in some more than others. One of the reasons so many attempts at 're-civilizing' L2 have failed is that a good half of the population refuses to speak in any human language. We use Makai common. Sure startled Father Maxwell and Sister Helen whenever a couple of the kids started growling at each other. I think Solo has some... dog youkai?"

"Wolf."

Solo stood with his back to the closed door, fingers busily pulling his hair into a high tail. "Three or four generations back. It's where I originally got my name. Some wit started calling me that after getting ideas about the whole 'lone wolf' thing. It stuck."

"You seem to gravitate toward canines," Heero said, smirking. "Kurama, Solo, Relena's dog..."

"Hey, that fluffy thing follows me," Duo defended. "I don't gravitate toward them, they adopt me."

As the other three snickered and Duo glowered, they made their way down several more floors into the familiar kitchens, where Kurama waited with four cups of coffee, he and Hiei having drank their own already. The coffee maker was still on the counter, but empty.

The kitsune looked up at them from some papers and blinked. "I don't think I realized how short your human form was, Kuronue."

Duo stuck out his tongue. "Yours isn't exactly a mountain either."

"Maybe not, but it's still taller than yours."

The younger thief's pout lasted all of ten seconds as his brother handed him a fresh cup of coffee, already loaded with sugar. After that, they arranged themselves around the table so that Duo was not immediately visible from the kitchen doors. There, they waited.

The last of the pilots walked into the kitchen together. Trowa sent a nod to Quatre upon entering, and interesting glint in his eyes. Wufei, on the other hand, was clutching his head, clearly still in the throws of a bad hangover.

Chatting lightly with Kurama in Makai common, Duo watched the pair wander over to the empty coffee maker out of the corner of his eye, making sure not to make any sudden moves that would draw attention to himself.

Slanted dark eyes narrowed as they took in the lack of coffee in the pot. He let out a growl worthy of any bear youkai. "Who took the last of the coffee?"

"Sorry, Wuffers. That'd be me," Duo said, slinking back from the table.

"Maxwell, how many times do I have to tell you, don't call me-" Wufei froze as he realized just who he was yelling at.

Smiling innocently, Duo waggled a few fingers at the Chinese pilot. One, two, three...

"_Maxwell_?"

Showtime.

Wufei sputtered, staring at Duo with wide eyes. "What- Where have you _been_?"

"Ah, you know, here and there. Caught up with a few old friends, got together with this gorgeous guy I know," Duo said, gesturing casually. "Things don't really change much around here once you get away from the surface."

"You've been here before?" Nataku's pilot was leaning across the table now, eyes scanning Duo's face.

That, of course, meant that he was in the prime location to see the positively devious smile growing on the second pilot's face. "Wu, I was _born _here."

Wufei reeled back in surprise, staring at Duo disbelievingly. "Born- You-" He glanced over to Kurama and Hiei before returning to Duo. "You knew they were youkai then, didn't you?"

"From the moment I met them," he said truthfully. "Hiei's eyes kind of gave it away." And their scent, but that'd spoil things, wouldn't it? "Escaped the theatre when that loony started shooting at us, and came to Makai. Been wandering around from city to city for a bit. And now I'm here."

The kitchen door opened and a blond head popped in. "Hey Chang, why didn't you wake me up when you came down here?" Solo entered, walking across the room to sit down next to Duo, fixing him with a half-awake glare. "You drank the last of the coffee, didn't you, kid."

Wufei's head snapped up at the form of address, and he finally focused his eyes on the distinctive red pendant hanging from around Duo's neck, attention flickering between it and Duo's eyes, which had gained a lengthening of the pupils.

"You- you- you're-" he stuttered, paling.

Heero didn't feel any pity for his comrade as he joined in, leaning closer to his mate and giving him a solid kiss on the lips, hand wrapping around the long braid. Satisfied at the dazed look on Duo's face as he pulled away, Heero left Wufei to his hyperventilating to match gazes with an amused Trowa. He raised an eyebrow.

"You don't seem surprised."

Trowa smiled slightly. "I've known since Konchuu. Too many hints to ignore."

"And you just decided to play along?"

"It was entertaining."

Wufei finally seemed to snapping out of his shock, disbelief turning to fury. "Maxwell- Youko- whatever your name is, I'm going to _kill _you!"

That night, they were still wondering just how Duo managed to wedge himself onto the top shelf in the pantry cupboards. And he refused to tell them.


	24. Ningenkai

A/N: Wow, so many reviews last chapter. I love you peoples::Hugs the readers:: So, new chapter. Hope you like it and all that lovely stuff. Now, I've got to get going and finish cleaning before my little sister shows up to work on cosplay, because we leave for SakuraCon in two days! Scary! Read and review!

A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next

Chapter Twenty Four

Ningenkai

After getting Wufei calmed down and extracting Duo from the panty, it was time to plan their return to the human world and build an explanation that would cover where they were without forcing Duo to lie if he was questioned.

"Just say that an old, pre-war friend took us back home for our safety and we couldn't leave until the danger had definitely passed," the chimera said after a couple hours of going over possible excuses.

"How does that work?" Wufei asked, twitching as Duo, now back in his youkai form, idly played with his hair. He would have moved, but with Heero acting as a human pillow for his mate, the only place to sit away from the braided man would have been between Trowa and Quatre. With the way they'd been eying each other, it was not a place he wanted to be.

"Well, Kurama brought us to the old den, and we certainly couldn't leave before the danger of me jumping Hee-chan had passed."

"Or the danger of us all learning your secret," Quatre replaced, giving Duo a look. "But are we going to tell anyone the whole truth?"

"Haven't decided yet, though Une is a candidate," Heero said, running his hands through long, black hair. "As is Relena."

Duo snickered. "Bet she'd freak out about you being forced to sell your soul to a demon."

"I don't remember being forced."

"Brain washing."

"Mind control."

Duo grinned. "Liberal use of aphrodisiacs."

The Preventors' Head Quarters was in a state of disarray, and had been since seven of its agents, including five former gundam pilots, had disappeared during the fundraiser shooting.

"No, we don't have any leads to their location," a harried Une repeated into the phone for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. "We cannot yet explain what witnesses saw, or what happened to the shooter. There will be a press conference as soon as we have more information."

Hanging up with more force than was strictly necessary, the former OZ officer growled.

"When I find those seven, they're going to wish they'd died during the war."

"They were injured," Sally pressed. "They may be waiting until they've healed."

"Would it kill them to call and tell us that they're a-" the commander was cut off by the phone ringing. Growling again, she answered with a barked, "Une."

"Hey Une Lady, didja miss me?"

Une nearly fell out of her seat at the happy chirp through the phone. "Maxwell? Where the hell are you?"

"Back in my hometown, but we'll be heading back to HQ just as soon as _Heero gets up_!" Duo said, but she knew the last part wasn't directed toward her. There was some grumbled swear words in the background. "Anyway, we'll meet you back at the theatre around lunch, okay?"

The hyper agent had hung up before Une was able to reply, leaving her holding the phone in shock.

"Well, you did want them to drop a line," Sally said, recovering faster than the other woman. "So are they alive?"

"Maxwell and Yuy are, at least, and we can assume the others are fine by his mood," Une said, running a hand through her hair. "Could you get someone else to tell the reporters that they're alive and have contacted us? Don't mention the when or where of the meeting please."

Her secretary knew better than to ask when she brought Une coffee only to find the woman banging her head on the desk.

Relena desperately wanted to jump into the front seat and steal the wheel from Pagan. They were already surpassing the speed limit, and the manservant refused to drive any faster.

The one thought that had been in her mind since receiving Sally's call had been 'they're alive.'

Since the war, she'd kept in contact with Duo, and therefore Heero, after a long and terrifying lecture form Quatre on how _not_ to thank someone who saves you from getting shot, which bled into the differences between a crush and an obsession, followed by visiting versus and stalking.

If anything, the realization had made things more complicated than ever before, seeing as she was now able to see past the gun aimed at Heero. So now she noticed other things about the second pilot. Things like his eyes, and his hair, and the fact that when he wore a swimsuit to the beach- She tore herself from that line of thought as quickly as possible, blushing furiously. Damn it. They two most gorgeous guys in the world, and they only had eyes for two people.

Each other.

Too bad both were completely and utterly blind.

"Miss Relena, we have arrived," Pagan said as the limo pulled up to the front of the police-taped off theatre. "I believe that Miss Une arrived here first, however."

But Relena was already out and running past the Preventor car and up the theatre steps.

The lobby was dark and still littered with programs and dropped items from the panic, making the former princess trip every few feet before catching herself. As she grew closer to the main theatre, Relena began hearing voices: Une's and that of a man she didn't know.

"So, Shinigami finally claimed the perfect soldier," Une's tone was unreadable as Relena listened outside the door.

"Why so disbelieving? It had to happen sooner or later." The man's voice was amused, and it sent shivers down her spine.

"I just didn't think it'd happen so soon."

"It should have happened a long time ago."

"How long do you plan on holding him?"

"Forever, if I can."

"You do realized that Heero is human, right? He's not immortal." Relena stifled a gasp, her fears confirmed. What could have happened to them since Duo's call?

The man laughed. "Death doesn't hold us back very long, my lady. I'll follow him wherever he goes. After all, Heero is now _mine_."

Heart hammering, she slammed the doors open, prepared for anything.

Or so she thought.

Dr. Po and Une were standing in front of the stage, their gun arms hanging loosely at their sides, pistols in hand. Une's other arm was used to hold the lady doctor away from the stage.

And on the stage...

Quatre, Trowa and Wufei sat together to one side with a child she hadn't met before who was dressed in a black haori and hakama, playing cards as though they didn't have a care in the world. Two unfamiliar men stretched out with their backs against the set wall, watching with amusement. She supposed that they must have been the two non pilot agents that'd gone missing as well.

Sitting on the edge of the stage, with one leg folded in front of him and the other dangling into the orchestra pit, was a demon. Worse, lying unmoving with his head in the demon's lap, dead or unconscious, she didn't know, was Heero.


	25. Return to the Theatre

A/N: I only have sixteen and a half school days left! Not including graduation day, of course, since we don't have class that day. And with Memorial Day off, that means only two more early Monday mornings. Frankly, I'm terrified. Anyway, now that I'm through with my short rant, I bring you the new chapter of the fic. Hope you like it.

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Twenty-five

Return to the Theatre

As planned, they'd beat Une to the theatre, which didn't look as though it had been cleaned up since the attack, many of the programs from the play still scattered across the floor. With their excellent night vision, the three youkai in the group could clearly see the bloody spot that was all that was left of the shooter. Raising an eyebrow, Kurama glanced back at his brother, who supported his barely conscious mate. "I see you were up to your old form."

"He shot Heero," Duo said in his defense, prodding said human in an attempt to rouse him. No such luck. He'd fallen back asleep. "Man, if I'd caught him like this during the war, he'd have shot me."

"Are you so sure he won't still?" Wufei asked, smirking. Duo would have flipped him off if his arms were full of sleeping soldier. "Let him sleep. We have time."

Duo walked up to the edge of the stage with a short "meh," before flopping down, allowing Heero to slide down with him. The short haired pilot opened his eyes part way, blinked up at him, and then closed them again, using his mate's lap as a pillow.

Returning from where he'd gone to turn on the stage lights, Quatre stared. "I never thought I'd see that."

"You never thought you'd see the demon realm either," Trowa said, pulling his lover down to sit with him on the stage before pulling a deck of cards from his pocket. It wasn't long until Solo and Wufei had joined the pair in a game of poker, using pieces of paper from Solo's notebook as chips.

The two youkai lords themselves decided to relax against the short wall that had once been part of the set, stretching out. Kurama covered a yawn before shifting back to his human form in wait for their current employer.

They heard the two before they actually entered the theatre proper. Une had apparently brought Sally Po, evident by the fact that both women were avidly cursing as they tripped over things.

"We're in here, Une lady!" Duo called cheerfully, waving as he saw movement by the doors. "And try not to yell too loudly at me. Heero's sleeping."

"Won't _your _yelling wake him up?" Hiei asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Na, he's used to me being loud when he's sleeping," the chimera said with a shrug.

Neither women marching up to them looked at all happy. Judging by the way Sally was clutching her medical bag, she would rather throw it at them than use it to take care of any wounds they might have had.

"Where in the world have you been?" Une demanded, barely keeping herself from screaming at them. From the way Yuy was sleeping, he needed it.

"Which one?" Jaganshi asked quietly, glancing at her with those unnerving red eyes of his. They were as strange as Maxwell's, but at least the senior agent's didn't look so... evil.

"My brother and I thought it would be best to take everyone back home to heal from their injuries," Minamino said, nodding toward Maxwell and Yuy's direction. "My sister-in-law is an accomplished healer."

"Brother?" Sally asked weakly, glancing rapidly between the two long-haired men. "You're-"

"Adopted," Duo correctly, taking pity on the lady doctor. "He pretty much raised me. Tried to steal from him when I was a kid and got caught."

Une's eyes narrowed. "Maxwell, where _exactly _have you been staying these last weeks. I want names, none of this 'home town' runaround I've been treated to so far. Report."

Duo gulped, knowing he was cornered. Well, they had decided to tell Une. Po hadn't been on the list, but he supposed having their doctor 'in the know' wouldn't be such a bad idea. "Well, first we took a portal from backstage to the Makai. Flew from that to the old den in the outskirts of the Konchuu territory. Spent one night there before heading out to Konchuu proper. Spent... about eight days there, during which time I got engaged. Then went to Gondara, and spent nine days there. Got married during that, and had an awesome two-day honeymoon. Then we came back, and here we are. Oh, and that's Solo."

The pair of women blinked, trying to process the rush of information they'd just been given. It was Une who spoke first. "You took a _what _from the backstage?"

"A portal," he chirped, lifting his arms from where they'd been draped over Heero's shoulders to mime his explanation. "You know, one of those swirly things that take you instantly from one place to another?"

Glancing over Heero to see the state of his health now that he was in clear view, Sally gasped in horror at the deep and obviously untreated bite on his shoulder. "My gods, how long ago did he get that?"

The self-proclaimed Shinigami's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Four days ago." Then, to the surprise of both women, he growled. "You're not coming anywhere near it."

"It needs to be treated! A wound like that should have gotten stitches. How efficient do you expect me to think this 'healer' of yours was when she left something like that alone?"

"Yukina knows better than to get near a fresh mating bite."

Une grabbed hold of Sally's jacket before the doctor could launch herself at the bitten pilot in outrage at his condition, eyes locked on the man holding him. Something about Duo was wrong, and it was getting worse.

When his very face and body began to shift, changing, they whipped standard issue Preventor pistols up in his direction, both resisting the urge to back away. It wasn't long until the human man who they'd known was gone, a winged demon sitting in his place, Heero's head still resting in his lap.

"You're Kuronue," Une whispered, remembering the description she'd ordered Maxwell to follow in creating his costume. With a shared glance of realization, they dropped their gun arms. "What did those creatures do to you?"

The demon tipped his head in confusion. "Creatures?"

"I think she means the spirits you summoned, little brother," Minamino said, looking up from his half-nap. "And they did nothing to him, my lady. They were his creations in the first place."

"Ah," the demon said in understanding. "You see, I've always been Kuronue. Imagine my surprise when the script you handed me at the start of this whole mess was for a play about my brother and I."

"So, Shinigami finally claimed the perfect soldier," Une said slowly, drawing the connection between Duo's claim of a marriage and the naming of the mark on Heero's shoulder a mating bite.

Kuronue or Duo, whichever the proper name, grinned. "Why so disbelieving? It had to happen sooner or later."

She would have loved to strangle him at the moment. They didn't need the media attention so quickly after the shooting. "I just didn't think it'd happen so soon."

"It should have happened a long time ago," Duo said, his eyes growing soft and thoughtful as he stared down at the human in his lap.

"How long do you plan on holding him?" she asked, seeing as neither had moved since their arrival. Just how tired was Heero.

Duo, of course, decided to be poetic about it. "Forever, if I can."

There was definitely conviction in his voice, something she'd learned to listen for since the war. No longer on opposite sides, Une had come to almost think of the pilots as family. And if what she'd heard of youkai was true, there wasn't much happiness in Duo's future if he was so attached. "You _do _realized that Heero is human, right? He's not immortal."

To her relief and more than a little confusion, the demon pilot laughed. "Death doesn't hold us back very long, my lady. I'll follow him wherever he goes. After all, Heero is now _mine_."

It was then that the doors to the theatre slammed open and there was a loud and piercing scream.

"And cue Relena."


	26. Relena

A/N: Half day! And I now only have seven days of class left. Graduation's on the 8th, no school Monday, senior skip day's the 31st, and I'm not counting weekends. Yatta! Anyway, most of this chapter was written during a play last night, which I was in, backstage between my scenes. The rest was written during drama and stagecrafts, during which we tied knots. Another play performance tonight, so if you wish to send me fortune, don't mention the 'l' word. I don't own anything, so don't sue! Read and review!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Twenty-Six

Relena

All eyes were instantly on the terrified princess, except for Heero's, as the pilot was still refusing to wake up. Just as he'd grown accustomed to Duo's yelling, he'd gotten used to Relena's screams as she was one of the thief's favorite targets for early morning pranks when they visited her or vice versa.

Unfortunately for Duo, his constant pranking had also taught her to recover her wits extremely fast, a fact proven as he grabbed hold of her own shoe. "You monster! What'd you do to him? And what have you done with Duo?"

The chimera yelped as he ducked out of the way from the flying high heel, dropping into the orchestra pit as its twin followed. "Ack, Relena! It's not what you think! He's just sleeping! No coffee this morning!" A small handbag flew over his head as he peaked out at her. "Quatre!"

"Miss Relena, please calm down," Quatre said, trying not to laugh at his friend's predicament. "I can assure you that both Duo and Heero are fine, though Duo may not be much longer if you keep throwing things at him."

About to grab a forgotten shoe that'd fallen from a panicking audience member, Relena faltered. Slowly, she lifted her head to take a closer look at the demon cautiously peering over the pit wall at her. Violet eyes, long hair, and protective of Heero. "Duo?"

A sheet of music was waved at her in place of a flag. "Peace?"

"Come out of there," she said slowly. It couldn't be…

"Promise not to throw anything else at me?" he asked, a hand coming up to grasp at the edge.

"For now," she said, nodding.

The chimera vaulted over the wall using one arm, the other wrapped around the waist of the slowly waking Heero. As he was set down in the front row, he looked up at his mate in brief confusion before taking in the new arrivals. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked really tired," Duo defended, wings flaring for a second by reflex. "Though if you had been awake, maybe princess pink wouldn't have thought I was some evil monster and attacked me."

Relena flushed before stomping down the isle to stand a foot from the chimera, staring up at him. "Explain."

Holstering her gun, Une took a seat in another of the empty seats. "Yes, please do." She glanced at Minamino sharply as he stood up and walked forward, nimbly leaping over the orchestra pit and landing beside Duo, making Relena jump. "You know something about this, Minamino?"

"You could say that," the red haired man said, smiling. "I did raise my little brother after all."

"You're related?" Une questioned, trying to fit her mind around the idea. They'd used the term earlier, but that had been before Maxwell's transformation. "What exactly are you?"

Duo gave a mock heavy sigh. "We are not of true blood, my lady, for I was but a kinless orphan wandering the streets when he graciously took me in and I became the first of the adopted Youko clan. Through the centuries, our family- Ack! Kurama!"

Releasing the captive black hair, Minamino rolled his eyes at his brother's antics. "Don't be so melodramatic, Kuronue. You're acting like a child."

"Kuronue?" Relena asked, head tipping to the side. It would seem that the mystery surrounding Duo Maxwell was unraveling.

"My original name," the winged man admitted. "Back home, I'm known as Youko Kuronue."

"And the new Mrs. Youko?" Sally pressed, raising an eyebrow at her commander as Une quickly covered up a snicker. "You mentioned a wedding."

Relena choked. Duo'd gotten _married_? When had that happened? And was _Heero _blushing?

"Well, I wouldn't say that there's a _Mrs_. Youko," Duo said with an awkward cough.

It was as though the hand of god had suddenly used a bright pink highlighter to connect the dots in Relena's mind. "Heero? You and Duo- Finally! Why wasn't I invited?"

The blond child in black blinked at her before turning to the other three he was playing cards with. "She just found out that the kid's a demon and married to her old crush, and she focuses on the fact that they mated without inviting her to the ceremony?"

Relena waved her hands at the child unconcernedly. "Honestly, he's strange enough that being a demon isn't all that much of a stretch. As for the marriage, there's been a running bet amongst the younger politicians on when they'd get some sense knocked into them and finally hook up."

Duo was laughing even as he grew shorter and his hair lighter, returning to the human man Relena'd known since the war. As dark wings vanished into his back, she held her breath, eyes flying to the quickly rounding ears partially hidden in his hair. Frowning, the ex-pilot rolled his shoulders. "Man, I hate doing that. It always feels weird to lose my wings. Anyway, you weren't invited because it was in the demon world."

"If it's any comfort, we're having two ceremonies, and the second hasn't happened yet," Heero said, now fully awake as he stood and wrapped an arm possessively around his mate's waist. "Commander Une, would you be willing to perform the ceremony?"

"Howard was our second choice, but for some weird reason Heero seemed to think that he didn't want to be married by someone in a Hawaiian shirt," Duo quipped before the woman could answer.

Une had to laugh at that. "Who did your other one?"

It was Minamino who answered, though she supposed his name too was Youko, Youko Kurama. "King Enma Jr. Chimera weddings call for someone to stand as the 'god,' so we figured that we might as well go for the real thing. My mate and I have known him since old calendar days."

"I'd love to then," she said, figuring that she might as well hang up her current version of the universe next to the war-time one that said gundam pilots were evil and had to be eliminated at all costs.

With a grin, Duo stepped away from Heero's embrace to pull Relena aside, taking her hands in his as his face turned serious. "Relena, you know you're like a sister to us, right?"

"Duo?" she asked, a little confused. "What-"

"We want you to be our maid of honor."


	27. Une's Headache

A/N: Wow, this chapter didn't take that long at all to write. Did a little on the ferry yesterday on the way back from the islands near where I live, and then wrote the rest right on the computer. Good timing too, since I've got a study session with Koneko in a few minutes. Hope you enjoy the new chapter and leave me nice reviews. I don't own anything I didn't create. Love you lots!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Une's Headache

The moment that Duo's words had filtered through her head, Relena leapt into his arms with a happy squeal. Laughing, he spun her around before overbalancing. They ended up in a heap on the ground. "I'll take it that you're willing then."

"Of course I'm willing, you moron!"

"Hey, watch the insults."

Une watched the odd display with an amused shake of the head. "So, who's going to be the bride?"

"The kid is," Solo said as he packed away the cards. "'Cause Heero was at the Makai wedding. Kid's turn now." He smirked. "And such a pretty bride he's gonna be too."

Duo's voice came drifting up from the pile as she tried to fit her mind around the idea of Yuy being any sort of bride. No, it just didn't work. "It's not too late to make you the flower girl, Solo."

"Right. Shutting up now."

"So how did you meet Maxwell?" Sally asked, going into mothering mode in reaction to the child. It helped push back the confused panic her brain was going into having seen someone shrink down in size while changing shape and not being able to explain it. It wasn't possible! Right, focus on the boy. Wasn't too hard either. He looked far too thin...

"We ran together on L2 when we were kids," he said before correcting himself. "Well, when I was a child. Turns out he was just pretending. Physically a child, but not mentally and all that stuff. Kinda touching that he named himself after me. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy."

Une's thoughts came to a standstill when she heard the phrase '_we _were kids.' "How old are you?"

Golden eyes fixed on her. "I was born twenty years ago. I died when I was eight."

"You're a ghost?"

"Ferrier to the river Styx, also known as the grim reaper. One of them, anyway. For about six years now," he said cheerfully.

"Ah," Une said, deciding that she really didn't want to know anything further until her abused brain had some time to recover. "Alright then, shall we get back to HQ before the press gets wind of where we are?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Duo said, stretching. "We all going to fit in the car?"

"We can take two more adults and Solo," Sally said. He may have been twenty mentally, but his size was still that of a child. For once, it was useful.

"And everyone else will fit in the limo," Relena added. Seeing Duo's flinch, she laughed. "Don't worry, I got it repainted since you saw it. It's white now."

"Thank the kami," the thief said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Hey, what happened to my car? I drove it here before the show."

"We had to towed to the HQ lot, don't worry," Une said in reassurance. "Yours too, Mr. Winner."

Hiei and Kurama ended up accompanying Solo into the Preventor car while the pilots all followed Relena into her limo, Quatre and Duo cheerfully greeting Pagan and chattering lightly about what they'd seen as though they had been on vacation rather than missing. For those in the car, however, things weren't nearly as relaxed.

"So," Une said, clutching the wheel with white hands. "I've been given the who and what for the others, but I still have no idea what you are, Mr. Jaganshi."

Seeing that Hiei had no intentions of answering, Kurama did it for him, ignoring the crimson glare he received. "Hiei's a fire youkai, lord of Konchuu, one of the three kingdoms of the Makai, and my mate."

The woman nodded, keeping an eye on the blond woman in the passenger seat, who still hadn't quite gotten over the impossibility of Duo's transformation. According to science, mass could not just vanish like that. The doctor looked to be distracting herself scribbling notes down on paper. "Do you yourself have any sort of title, Mr. Youko?"

"Call me Kurama if you don't want to use my human name, everyone does" the red head said gently. "And yes, I do. Hiei and I are equals in status, though Gondara is the kingdom that I have claim to. Our friend Urimeshi Yusuke reigns over the third kingdom. I believe Kuronue may be gaining an unofficial rule over the L2 youkai and hanyou as well, from what I've heard from rumors. The colony has the greatest percentage of youkai versus humans in the human realm."

Wonderful. Not only were they playing host to youkai in the Preventors, but they were hosting _royal _youkai. And one of the colonies was populated mostly by demons. The press would have a field day if they ever found out. She was suddenly glad that the existence of youkai was apparently kept under wraps.

-

Somehow, despite the fact that they would never find the leak, word had gotten out to the other agents that the seven had been located by the time they'd reached head quarters. Meaning that almost Preventor employee was waiting for them in the lobby, ready to welcome them back.

This of course meant that Heero was too busy fending off worried coworkers to notice when Duo got a more than slightly wicked gleam in his eyes. Without warning, the soldier's hand was seized and he was pulled through the crowd (he suspected his mate was using more than human strength) and up onto the lobby desk. There, Duo held him close to his side, still grinning out over the heads of the crowd.

"Everybody, I have an announcement!"

In response to the yell, almost everyone was facing them a moment later, staring up in wait for what the formerly missing joker had to tell them.

To late, Heero caught on. "Duo, don't you even think-"

"Heero and I are getting married!"

Said perfect soldier buried his face behind a hand as there was a loud cheer in the lobby, shaking his head in despair. Right, he'd lost the chance for anything discreet the moment he'd accepted the chimera's proposal. How could he have forgotten.


	28. Wedding Jitters

A/N: Yay, it is now officially senior skip day. And I'm about to go to bed, so I'll try to keep this brief because you never know what my sleep deprived brain is going to do left unchecked. We're finally getting to the long awaited wedding, which is why this chapter is longer than usual. Do read the notes at the bottom, they are important if you get confused. I don't own anything that I didn't make. Love you lots so read and review!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Wedding Jitters

The two soon to be married pilots quickly realized that it didn't matter whether or not they actually wanted to plan their own wedding, it was out of their hands the moment they'd announced their final choices for the wedding party. With the exception of the 'must be invited' guest list, the two wealthy blonds in their life would be running the entire show. Luckily for their wallets, same said blonds had agreed to pay for it too.

"Think they'd let us just wear out dress uniforms?" Duo asked after going through the catalog of tuxedos that the golden hellions (what he'd decided to call Relena and Quatre after being dragged in for a fitting) had marked up with their 'suitable' choices.

"Quatre, maybe, but not Relena," Heero said, examining a white tux and trying to imagine Duo in it. Not that the braided man was a virgin by any stretch of the imagination, but on one really cared about that rule these days anyway. "He was at our first ceremony. She wasn't."

"At least she stopped trying to convince you to wear a dress," Solo spoke up from the sofa. The ferrier had been staying with them since their return from Makai, sleeping on a pile of blankets in Duo's room as their 'chaperone.' "Pity."

"Flower girl," Duo growled in threat.

This time, the younger thief wasn't cowed. "As if the princess is gonna let you change the wedding party around for anything short of a death this late. So, you are going to let her do your hair, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I promised," the chimera admitted grudgingly. "It was brutal. She came at me with those eyes, bemoaning the fact that Heero was probably never going to let anyone else near my hair after this and how it was her last chance. Evil woman."

"Bit redundant, that."

-

Today was the day. Both pilots had spent the night in separate hotels the previous evening being pampered in their day spas before being forced into bed early in preparation for the early morning ahead of them.

They weren't being married in a church, but rather in the training fields next to the Preventors HQ, which had been made up with flowers, ribbons, and an army's worth of chairs to accommodate all the guests that had made it onto the final list.

Three dressing tents had been set up. One for the groom and his men, one for the bride's women, and one for the bride himself due to the particular circumstances. Despite it being private, the third tent was the most crowded.

"You look beautiful, Duo," Relena assured the nervous pilot as she ran a brush through his hair. "And don't forget, Heero is already yours."

"I know, I know," he murmured, watching her through the mirror. She, Sally, and Hilde all wore matching dressed in pale violet, while Mariemaia's was blue to better go with her hair as well as Solo's suit. Une, much to Duo's jealously, _had_ gotten away with wearing her dress uniform.

Parting the hair into three sections and baying a ribbon alongside each, Relena couldn't help but to marvel in the softness. With the life he'd lived for the past two decades or so, one would expect Duo's hair to be coarse and full of split ends. But it wasn't. Instead, it flowed like water as she braided it, and she almost regretted having to tie off the end.

"Not quite as ornate as your mate's was, but still captivating, little brother," Kurama said, entering the tent quietly with a gesture to someone outside to wait. Those women who hadn't been informed about their 'vacation' jerked at the form of address but decided to puzzle it out at a later time when their minds weren't clogged with wedding bells. "You've done a good job, your highness, but I have a few finishing touches."

With that, the kitsune in human form produced a blue rose from his previously empty hand, pinning it to his brother's front pocket. (1)

"Just don't tell anyone where you got it," he said with a smile, bring Duo's head down so he could press a kiss to his forehead. Then, moving to the chimera's ear, he whispered, "And I've hidden a bottle of a certain salve in your getaway car. I expect you to have used most of it by the time you get back."

"Shuuichi!" Duo yelped, flushing. He'd barely remembered to use the kitsune's human name in his embarrassment.

Kurama just laughed. "You've gotten soft, little brother. It used to take a lot more than that to make you blush." He continued despite Duo's sputtering. "Anyway, would you mind if someone else came in here? I'm not qualified to do the very last touch. Oh, and I've explained to your friend Howard that he won't have to walk you down the isle. I belief he ran off to change into a Hawaiian shirt right after that."

The younger thief fixed him with a look of confusion. "Shuuichi, who else do I have to do that? You already told me that you weren't going to do it, and I doubt G would come out into public. That doesn't leave too many more options."

"Call it a slightly early wedding present from Koenma and I, and probably most of the Reikai," the red-head said with an innocent smile. He briefly stuck his head outside of the tent before stepping further inside to give whoever it was room to enter.

Everyone in the tent stopped and stared at the older couple that'd entered after a young man with brown hair. Duo's eyes widened as he took a concealed sniff of the air to catch their scents. "Kami..."

The couple held onto each other as though afraid that moving would make him (or them) vanish. Violet eyes on the redder side of his stared at him from the woman's face as she spoke a single word that could only be heard if one stood with their ear to her mouth. Or if one had youkai hearing. "Kuronue."

"You know, it's the funniest thing," Koenma said casually. "The other day I was having this really bad craving for a candy bar, but I'm not supposed to eat in my office, so I kinda bribed George to sneak one in. Turns out they don't make the kind I wanted in the area, so he bribed Botan to get him one. Then she had a problem with the gate and had to sneak the guard on shift a little 'tip' to get back in. From what I've heard in rumor, the levels of corruption just kept going and going until they reached the heaven gates, and someone even managed to convince the guards there to take a week off!" He tapped his chin as if just realizing something. "You know, come to think of it, that week centers on today. Imagine how many souls could have escaped to take a day traipsing about the living world. It's a good think there haven't been any reports or there'd be a lot of extra paperwork for me to do."

"You little scamp," Duo said, grinning. "Thank you, Koenma."

"Ah, it's just a day," the kami said, smiling back. "Well, I'd best go get a seat."

As though his departure had been a cue, the couple rushed forward to embrace Duo, the man wrapping one arm around the bride while keeping the other around his wife as she tried not to sob into Duo's chest and mess up the cloth.

"Duo?" Relena asked, confused as she looked between the couple and her friend. It couldn't be.

"Relena, meet my parents," he whispered, careful to keep his voice from carrying. He stepped away from them, wiping the woman's tears before they could fall. (2) "It's nice to meet you, Mother."

"It's nice to meet you too, my son," she said, managing a smile. "Oh, you've grown up so well. I'm so sorry that I was never there."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," he said gently. "You traded your life for mine. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"None of that today," the man said, looking his son over. "I have something for you. I've been working on it for centuries, hoping that I'd have a chance to give it to you someday, even if it was after- well, you know."

He produced a fine chain from his suit pocket. Hanging from it was a carved opal in the shape of a tear drop. It glinted red in the light. Swallowing, Duo dipped his head for the necklace to be draped over him.

The man, though Relena figured he must be a chimera if he was Duo's father, smiled. "There, now you're ready."

"Just in time too," Kurama said as the music changed into the familiar "here comes the bride" march. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Duo said as the kitsune and his mother snuck out the back of the tent rather than going through the main door which would be being watched now. Linking arms with his father, he took a steadying breath as the bride's maids filed out in front of him, meeting with the best men before heading down to the pulpit. "Well, this is it."

He stepped from the tent.

----

----

1. Blue roses are supposedly impossible. There are those that look blue, but are actually purple. Kurama, special that he is, really can grow blue roses.

2. Falling chimera tears outside of battle are a bad thing.

One last thing. Kuronue's parents were not brought back to life, nor have they been alive this entire time. Koenma's just being a nice guy and letting them out of the afterlife for the day of their son's wedding. It took a while to arrange seeing as he had to pretend to have no involvement, which is why they weren't at the Makai wedding. Their looking like Duo in human form can be blamed solely on Kurama. Kitsune illusions are fun.


	29. Wedding Bells

A/N: Well, fic's almost over. I've been writing this for what, a bit over two years now? Not bad, if I say so myself. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the wedding. It was written on my brand new and shiny laptop, which I got from my lovely parents as a graduation present. That's right, ladies and gentlethings, I'm done with high school. Kinda have mixed feelings about that. It's a lot less stress without homework, but I definitely miss eating breakfast every morning with my (self-adopted) little sister. So, enjoy the chapter and leave me lotsa lovely reviews!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Twenty-nine

Wedding Bells

Waiting at the altar, Heero vaguely wondered if Duo had felt this nervous during their other ceremony. He tried desperately not to stare at the bridal tent where he knew his mate waited for his musical cue. When it came, he held his breath, blue eyes suddenly unable to remove themselves from the decorated front curtain.

When it was pulled aside Relena and Quatre were the first ones to emerge, followed by Sally and Wufei, Hilde and Trowa. The procession of six split in front of the altar to take their places on either side in lines. Solo came after, bearing their chosen rings tied to a silk pillow. Then, the cloth parted one last time, and his bride emerged.

A stranger held the arm of his beloved. But the detail was pushed aside when compared to the ethereal beauty of Duo. His hair was tied back into a simple braid, and Heero thought that he saw ribbons woven in when the end of it waved back and forth in and out of sight. In tiers, three pendants hung from around his neck.

The lowest one glinted the familiar gold of their Shinigami's cross, a relic dedicated to his history on L2. The next was the red of his crest-carved jewel. The highest, however, Heero was not familiar with, though he suspected that it had something to do with the new man that had been selected to give away the bride.

An older man with brown hair held in a mid-length ponytail that draped over one shoulder walked next to Duo as the braided chimera drew nearer. It wasn't until they were a lot closer that Heero noted the purple shade of the man's eyes, bluer than Duo's, but definitely in the same family.

The idea placed an impossible thought into Heero's mind. Family. It seemed impossible. He knew for a fact that Duo's human family was dead, as was his original youkai family, which wouldn't have looked like his human form anyway. Unless…

His eyes strayed over to where Kurama sat in the audience, side by side with another unfamiliar face, this time a woman whose eyes veered more towards red. The kitsune was looking far too smug not to have done something, and Koenma's presence on the woman's other side made the arrangement even more suspicious. Could it be?

He turned his gaze forward once more as Duo crossed those final few feet between them, stepping up to Heero's side. There was no time for other curiosities. After receiving a nod from both of them, Une began her speech.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two gentlemen, Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell, in sacred matrimony. Who stands to bring the bride, Duo Maxwell, into this union?"

Neither of them could really hear their commander as she spoke or when the stranger on Duo's opposite side answered her, the realization of where they were and what they were doing leaving them in a daze. Neither of their worlds could deny their binding after this.

"Does anyone here have reason for these two to not be joined?" the woman asked, turning her eyes out into the seating area. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Silence.

A nudge from Quatre brought Heero's attention back to what Une was saying just in time. "Do you, Heero Yuy, take this man, Duo Maxwell, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to honor, through war and peace, in sickness and in health, for riches or poverty, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," he said, though his thoughts were running more along the lines of, '_Dumb question. Of course I do.'_

Une's smile as she turned to Duo clearly stated that she knew exactly what the former pilot was thinking. "And do you, Duo Maxwell, take this man, Heero Yuy, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to honor, through war and peace, in sickness and in health, for riches or poverty, for as long as you both shall live?"

For once, Duo resisted the temptation to say something witty and clever. "I do."

"Have you the rings to seal your vows?"

"I have them here," Solo said, stepping forward with the silk pillow.

Une nodded. "Heero, as you place the ring onto Duo's finger, repeat after me. 'With this ring, I be wed.'"

Lifting one of the two nearly identical bands, this one silver with small blue stones inset, Heero forced his hands not to tremble as he took Duo's left in his and slid the ring up his mate's ring finger. "With this ring, I be wed.'"

"Duo, as you place the ring onto Heero's finger, repeat after me. 'With this ring, I be wed.'"

The chimera looked directly into Heero's eyes as he picked up the purple stoned twin of the ring he now wore. "With this ring, I be wed."

Une's face couldn't have shown with more pride. "Then by the power invested in me by the government of the United Sphere as the commander of the Preventors, I hereby pronounced these two as wedded husbands. I present to you Duo and Heero Maxwell. You may now kiss the bride."

Relena sniffed, trying to hold back tears as she saw her two best friends embrace. Finally. After the horrors and tragedies of the war, they deserved as much happiness as it was possible to give them. She was incredibly glad that Quatre had delivered her lecture far before this event, because she could nearly picture herself spoiling the day for the newlyweds with one of her childish tantrums had she still been fixated on her views of the pair. But now, nothing spoiled the perfection of the moment.

Reforming into their pairs, the bride's maids and groom's men filed back down the aisle, following Heero and Duo out of the ceremony area. The reception was to be held in the courtyard of Relena's manor, something that she and Quatre had argued on for days before finally it was brought down to a game of cards. Brilliant strategist as the man may have been, he had no poker face.

"Ah, no crying until after the photographer's finished with us," he whispered, catching her expression as they passed though the curtain. "You'll mess up your make-up."

"Hey Quatre, no stealing my lines!"

Blue eyes went wide. "How'd he hear me?"

Solo shrugged. "Youkai hearing."


	30. Send Off

A/N: The fic is finally over, so I thank all of you lovely reviewer peoples for reading and cheering me on along the way. I want to give a special thanks to my reviewers Serenity Maxwell, insanechildfanfic, and Fox Loves Shinigami, who reviewed the most times in this fic, Serenity Maxwell submitting 23, while the other two tied with 15 each. Arigato gozaimasu, minna-san!

On another note, sometime in the upcoming future, there will be a doujinshi drawn for "A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next" by a good friend of mine who's much more drawing capable than I, so keep an eye out in my profile for the announcement and the link. It's been great writing for you and reading you reviews. Be sure to keep reading my other fics. Enjoy this last chapter!

"A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next"

Chapter Thirty

Send Off

Heero pulled Duo aside as soon as he was able to after the pictures with all of the attention focused on the both of them. He knew there'd only be a few minutes before the cutting of the cake, at which time there would be no time for private words. "Duo, those two…?"

"My parents," the braided man said with a smile, leaning against his husband's side. "A gift from Koenma for the day. I can't wait to introduce you to them."

"I thought you never met your mother," Heero said, looking to where the youkai couple in human form stood with Kurama and Koenma, who were introducing them to a few select members of the wedding party and guests.

Duo's face was soft as he followed Heero's gaze. "I hadn't, until today. Come on. I think you'll like them."

"I was wondering when you'd make your way over here," Kurama said as his brother approached. "I'll leave you to do the introductions."

"Thank you, Kurama," Duo said. "Okaa-san, Otou-san, this is my mate and husband, Yuy Heero, now Youko after my adopted clan. Heero, meet my parents, Maruihoshi Arashi and Toki." (1)

Heero bowed to them both as they returned the favor, gasping in surprise as Toki pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you for making my son so happy."

Recovering, he returned her embrace with equal force. "Thank you for creating him. I would not have made it this far without him."

"You look strong, for a human," Arashi said, looking his son-in-law up and down once the pilot had been released. "Kuronue, I approve."

Duo laughed, the sound still the sweetest thing to ever enter Heero's ears. "I'm glad, father, because I don't think that I could ever choose between the two of you. Ooh, I think we're expected to go and cut the cake now."

Nothing could have been more perfect than that afternoon. As evening fell, Duo danced with his mother while Une took the place of Heero's. The blue-eyed pilot expected that his new husband would not let him forget it for a long time.

None too soon in either of their opinions, their limo (read, escape car) arrived, and the signal for the bouquet toss went out to the eligible ladies of the reception. A few of Quatre's sisters also decided to drag their little brother into the crowd despite his protests. An amused Trowa refused to help him escape their evil grasps.

"Everyone ready?" Duo asked, grinning over his shoulder at them. An affirmative cheer went up and he turned around to face away. "Alright. One, two, _three_!"

A mad scramble landed the bundled flowers in the hands of one mischievous red-headed daughter of OZ's late leader, who was already eying the blond grim reaper. Solo met eyes with her and screamed. Golden and red streaks were sighted all over the reception area.

With a final hug to his parents and friends, Duo and Heero loaded into the limo that would take them to the airport. As it pulled away, Quatre gave a dubious look to the broken hand-guns being dragged from the back bumper. "Trowa, Wufei, may I have a word with the two of you?"

Both pilots were suspiciously absent by the time he'd turned around. So was Relena.

-

Several years later:

"And to conclude this meeting, I'd like to remind you that the Preventors' annual fundraiser play is being revived this year despite the… interesting results of last time's," Une said, looking around at the agents present, particularly Heero and Duo Maxwell. Her next statement brought out a few laughs. "Hopefully, no one will get shot this year, though I wouldn't mind performing another marriage ceremony if that happens."

"Don't worry, it probably won't happen again," Kurama said with a laugh, seeing the worried looks on a few newer agents' faces. "And most of the original five are already married."

Duo's cheerful grin turned devious as he turned to the one exception. "Say, Wuffers, how's it going with the certain Kamaitachi princess? Her father still trying to hook you two up?"

Wufei growled. "Maxwell…"

"Yes?" both Duo and Heero answered together.

Shaking his head, Quatre groaned. "Should have never let them get married. They're getting worse."

"Are parts being chosen in the same manner as last time?" Trowa asked, steering the meeting back toward it intended purpose.

"_No_," Une said solidly. Duo snickered. "Roles will be chosen for agents participating, with a few roles open for civilian audition. No, Duo, you will not be playing yourself this year. I have gone through the skit selection very carefully this year."

"Darn," Duo said in mock disappointment, snapping his fingers as the majority of the agents in attendance looked on in confusion. "So, what sort of stories are we dealing with this time?"

"Egyptian myths, by popular vote at the last meeting, which you skipped, as usual," Wufei spoke up. His smile really wasn't all that pleasant. "You were chosen to be Isis."

Violet eyes glared, promising dismemberment. "You will die now."

It was Hiei's turn to be amused as he shook his head at his brother in law. "You can't kill him. You've run out of loopholes."

"You can never run out of loopholes," the chimera protested. "That's the great thing about them. When you've used up all the ones you know, _you find more_. Die!"

Quatre sighed as the meeting, thankfully finished, dissolved into chaos. "And to think, we used to think it was strange when Wufei chased Duo around after his life. But now the other way around…"

"I do not believe that 'normal' applies to anything involving our little family anymore," Trowa said with a chuckle. Taking hold of his husband's hand, they left the meeting room. It was about time for lunch.

-

It was a couple of months later when they received an ever rare phone call directly from Koenma, one that they'd been waiting to get for some time.

"He's ready. Gather in Konchuu, and soon or he'll wake up." (2)

The End

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A/N: Yes, it's the end of the fic! All done! If you want the honeymoon, go read it on mediaminer or aff, okies? Byes!

1. It took a bit to pick names for the parent peoples, as well as a name that would fit Kuronue's original family. The surname came from the words meaning 'round star,' which I felt would fit his father's profession. The father's name came from the fourth hokage in Naruto while the mother was named for a woman in "Princess Mononoke." Shiny, neh?

2. Bumbumbum… Keep an eye out for the upcoming sequel, ladies and gentlethings.


	31. ATTENTION!

ATTENTION! The sequel to "A Thief in One Life, A Thief in the Next" is up! It's titled "Ice Maiden's Mulberry Tree" and can be found by following my profile or by going into the YuYuHakusho section of the site. I hope you all enjoy!


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